Matthew Lawrence Hayden AM (born 29 October 1971) is a former Australian cricketer, and was signed to the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL until the 2010 season. Hayden is a powerful and aggressive left-handed opening batsman, known for his ability to score quickly at both Test and one day levels.
Hayden holds the record for the highest score made by an Australian batsman in Tests (380). He formed one of the most prolific opening partnerships in world Test cricket for Australia with Justin Langer, and in ODI cricket with Adam Gilchrist. Upon his retirement, in January 2009, Hayden's Test average was 50.7; he had scored the second most runs in Test Cricket by an opening batsman; and was equal 6th (with Jacques Kallis) on the all-time list for Test centuries.
Hayden made his debut for the Australian team in the 4–8 March 1994 Test Match against South Africa in Johannesburg, scoring 15 and 5. His next Test selection was in the 1996–97 season, with three tests each against the West Indies and South Africa. He made his maiden century (125 against the West Indies in Adelaide), but averaged only 21.7 for the series with two ducks. He was dropped from the team, as the selectors favoured other openers, in particular Mark Taylor and Matthew Elliott, for the next few years. At the time, he was compared occasionally to Graeme Hick, a fine domestic performer but not quite good enough to make it at the highest level.
Upon strong and fast horses
thousands have ridden beyond our borders.
Our standards has been brought
across the whole continent
Hearts of stone
and minds of steel.
Defiel all foes
and crushed their bones.
Gathered under the respected flag
with minds set on conquering.
Hearts of stone
and minds of steel.
Defied all foes
and crushed their bones.
Bonded by their nation
they pledged allegiance to the king's crown.
I'm pulled into the endless theories
in the chronicles of crusades.
Lost in a time of blood and steel
as I'm enchanted by the things they tell.
Most of the soldiers who rode into war
courageously fell for the enemy's sword.
The few who finally returned