Matthew Hayden snubs Mark Taylor at Allan Border Medal

[MisterMarcus]

When Hayden was on Robert Craddock's show on Foxtel he hinted that he and Taylor never really got on. Taylor was/is chummy with NSW mate, wanted a right handed partner and pushed for Slater to play ahead of Hayden. Hayden got frustrated, Slater more than earned his spot so basically Hayden was frozen out until Taylor retired. Having said that, Slater and Taylor were a great pair and if Hayden still holds a grudge this far on then he needs to get over it.

He basically said this in his autobiography too, Taylor pushed very hard for Slater at the expense of him.

Reading between the lines, it seems Hayden was upset that it even came down to a "bat-off" in the first place. Hayden had been churning out squillions of runs, and seemed to view Slater as a bit of a johnny-come-lately who was unfairly elevated to equal status by Taylor.

 

[Gough]

He basically said this in his autobiography too, Taylor pushed very hard for Slater at the expense of him.

Reading between the lines, it seems Hayden was upset that it even came down to a "bat-off" in the first place. Hayden had been churning out squillions of runs, and seemed to view Slater as a bit of a johnny-come-lately who was unfairly elevated to equal status by Taylor.

To be fair to Slater, and Taylor, nobody had a higher opinion of Matthew Hayden than Matthew Hayden.

 

[The 747]

Let's be fair to selectors here. I saw Hayden's first Test 100 at Adelaide Oval. It was far from impressive and nothing to suggest a long and successful Test career ahead. In many cases, second chances are harder to gain than first ones. If Hayden thinks he was hard done by having to wait around for 2 years while he made 1000 runs each season, then he needs to look at Darren Lehmann who did it for a decade before getting his chance.

And the knock on Hayden was always his batting against good bowlers, which that knock didn't really dispell and it followed him through his career.

 

[Jimthegreat]

Any system that awards Warner that gong two years in a row over Steve Smith is monumentally f***ed

It's a player and umpire vote so his peers must've voted for him. I think there are different weightings given between the 3 forms though so that may have made a difference. Warner had an stunningly outstanding short form year but his Test year, while, was flat by his standards even if he did average 41 still.

I personally picked Smith with Hazelwood as a smokey.

 

[STFU Donnie]

Personally, I'm surprised Hayden was at the function and wasn't serving drinks.

 

[reubski23]

I was a massive Hayden fan until the 5th ashes test where he and langer played incredibly selfishly to ensure that Hayden didn’t get dropped - cost us as any chance we had of getting a result

 

[DaRick]

He basically said this in his autobiography too, Taylor pushed very hard for Slater at the expense of him.

Reading between the lines, it seems Hayden was upset that it even came down to a "bat-off" in the first place. Hayden had been churning out squillions of runs, and seemed to view Slater as a bit of a johnny-come-lately who was unfairly elevated to equal status by Taylor.

Hayden did have his chances at Test level in the 1990's but he didn't really take them. His technique looked ungainly at that time, with a tendency to plonk on the front foot, and he was vulnerable to bowlers who could put it on a length and slant it away (notably Ambrose). Odd really because he scored plenty of runs on green GABBA pitches.

I was a massive Hayden fan until the 5th ashes test where he and langer played incredibly selfishly to ensure that Hayden didn’t get dropped - cost us as any chance we had of getting a result

We didn't win that game because Warne dropped Pietersen and our batting lineup collapsed. Not Hayden/Langer's fault.

I loved Hayden as a player but away from the game he comes off as being rather sanctimonious and egotistical.

 

[reubski23]

Hayden did have his chances at Test level in the 1990's but he didn't really take them. His technique looked ungainly at that time, with a tendency to plonk on the front foot, and he was vulnerable to bowlers who could put it on a length and slant it away (notably Ambrose). Odd really because he scored plenty of runs on green GABBA pitches.



We didn't win that game because Warne dropped Pietersen and our batting lineup collapsed. Not Hayden/Langer's fault.

I loved Hayden as a player but away from the game he comes off as being rather sanctimonious and egotistical.

THe only reason we were any chance was because of Warne and McGrath- Hayden and Langer took the light when the situation was dire was the most selfish thing I have seen in my time of watching Australian cricket. Severely disliked him after that

 

[StillAtLarge]

I was a massive Hayden fan until the 5th ashes test where he and langer played incredibly selfishly to ensure that Hayden didn’t get dropped - cost us as any chance we had of getting a result

Yes! The Oval '05, most selfish innings I've ever witnessed....the f#cker never middled one ball and they took the light when we were well on top!

 

[Demosthenes]

I was a massive Hayden fan until the 5th ashes test where he and langer played incredibly selfishly to ensure that Hayden didn’t get dropped - cost us as any chance we had of getting a result

Yeah, he was such a cat in that innings

 

[ClokesShankedIt]

Hayden failed early on against a higher standard of opposition bowlers and later on he made himself out as the next Bradman as he slapped spuds like Ajit Agarkar around. He's the quintessential Queenslander.

 

[Marstermind]

Hayden was what Australian cricket is crying out for now. A player of immense talent who is forced to bide his time in Shield whilst others in the national team make the most of their opportunities. All the while the Shield player is honing is game, getting hungry and becoming a better Test player without actually in the team. When he finally gets in the team, he's a world class player ready to dominate the game for a decade.

Nowadays we have Hilton Cartwright, Marnus Labuschagne, and Nic Maddinson playing Test cricket well before they are ready, averaging 35 in FC cricket, getting chewed up and spat out and never heard of again. Meanwhile, Glenn Maxwell scores 8 FC centuries in 8 years and is considered unlucky.

Hayden should thank his lucky stars that he had to earn his spot rather than being gifted it.

 

[MisterMarcus]

Pretty harsh IMO....

Australia were cruising for most of their first innings (1/200, 2/300-odd) during a match that was rain affected. I'm sure their strategy was to bat only once, get a decent lead over England's score, then force them to bat last under increasing pressure to win the Ashes. Australia were batting before lunch on Day 2, so there was no need to do anything stupid.

Even with a middle/late order implosion by Australia, the plan still nearly worked. England were extremely shaky on the last day before Pietersen and Giles saved their backsides.

 

[Doss]

To be fair to Slater, and Taylor, nobody had a higher opinion of Matthew Hayden than Matthew Hayden.

And also to be fair to Slater, he may not have been in Hayden's class but it's easy to forget what a good player Slater was. He shouldn't have been dropped in 1996 in the first place. 14 Test centuries and a further nine scores in the 90s; he may just be a dud commentator now but for most of his career, he was a darned good Test opener.

One of the great mysteries to me is why he didn't do better in ODIs.

 

[PhatBoy]

And also to be fair to Slater, he may not have been in Hayden's class but it's easy to forget what a good player Slater was. He shouldn't have been dropped in 1996 in the first place. 14 Test centuries and a further nine scores in the 90s; he may just be a dud commentator now but for most of his career, he was a darned good Test opener.

One of the great mysteries to me is why he didn't do better in ODIs.

I’ve got a couple of theories. One is that he was just a one-pace player. What we perceived as ultra-aggression in tests was about as hard as he could go and it translated to mediocrity in one dayers.

The other is that his aggression in tests was based purely around ‘proper’ shots. Cuts, drives, pulls. There wasn’t a lot of improvising. In one day cricket where the bowling and fielding emphasis is often on defence, those options weren’t as freely available