Matthew Hayden reveals his toughest bowlers and best batsmen

Australian cricket has produced a plethora of batsmen who have gone on to make a name for themselves at the highest level. Matthew Hayden is one of them. He was intimidating in stature and bowlers used to be wary of the hulk-like left-hander from Queensland. He made his debut in 1994 and went on to play 103 Tests, 161 ODIs, and 9 T20Is in a career which spanned 15 years.

He also went on to represent the Chennai Super Kings in the prestigious Indian Premier League. He was recently seen in the commentary box, wielding magic with his verbiage. However, there were bowlers who were able to get under his skins. Recently, Hayden spilled the beans on the toughest bowler he faced in an interaction with the International Business (IB Times).

“The sport in Australia is revered”- Hayden

“My toughest bowler was (pause for a while) probably Curtly Ambrose. He was a magnificent bowler, fast, accurate and relentless from ball one. He gave you nothing to hit. He bowled one line, one length. Among Indian players, I have had wonderful battles with Harbhajan (Singh). He did solid, emotional battles. So, those two players (Ambrose and Harbhajan) were tough,” Hayden mentioned.

Ambrose’s spell of 1 run and 7 runs at the WACA in Perth against the likes of Justin Langer, David Boon, Steve Waugh and Alan Border back in 1993 won’t be easily forgotten, especially by the Australians. Hayden also revealed his most favorite batsmen. “The best batsman I played with was Ricky Ponting. And against, it was Brian Lara, for obvious reasons,” the retired cricketer added.

The 46-year also reckoned that the tainted cricketers in Steve Smith and David Warner will storm back and restamp their authority on the sport. “They will bounce back. The great thing about Australian public is that they are extremely forgiving. They are also harsh critics of poor behavior in sport. The sport in Australia is revered,” Hayden added.

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