Matthew Hayden is one of the best openers to have played the game of cricket in the last 20 years. He was this tall imposing figure in the middle and his opponents used to bowl to his strengths and he used to dispatch them all over. He has left a lasting legacy in the game and fans remember him till this day.
Matthew Hayden has played a number of amazing innings throughout his great international career so choosing the best 5 among them is very difficult but still let’s try to see which are the Top 5 best innings of Matthew Hayden.
380 vs Zimbabwe in Perth (2003) : Matthew Hayden highest test score
The second highest test score of all time has to be here among the greatest innings of Matthew Hayden's career and in this match the helpless Zimbabwe bowlers were just mere spectators in the Hayden show as he systematically demolished their bowling to all parts and it looked like 400 was in the cards but it wasn’t to be as he fell just 20 runs short but this was an innings that put him in the history books forever and whenever the history of cricket is written the name of Matthew Hayden will be written in golden letters.
203 vs India in Chennai (2001)
This amazing knock came in the much hyped and closely contested India vs Australia series in 2001, Australia won the first test in Mumbai and then India did the greatest comeback at Eden Gardens to go to Chennai at 1-1 , although the other Aussie batters could not contribute much to the total in that match , it was the brilliance of Matthew Hayden that stood out as he was the lone warrior for the Australian team in that match and because he had no partners, India won that match but it doesn’t diminish the greatness of this innings by a special player.
197 and 103 vs England in Brisbane (2002)
This was one of the most incredible test matches in the career of Matthew Hayden as he made such a big impact that after this match there was no looking back for this young Aussie opening batter. He completely destroyed the England bowling attack in both innings of the test match as he scored magnificent 197 in the first innings at a very good rate bur felt just short of his 200 by 3 runs , and again in the second innings lf that match , Hayden stood up for Australia and scored a brilliant century to put Australia in a commanding position in the test match which they eventually won by 384 runs.
181* vs New Zealand in Hamilton (2007): Matthew Hayden highest score in ODI
New Zealand was a favorite opponent of Matthew Hayden in the ODI format as out of his 10 ODI centuries four of them came against New Zealand and this match he notched up his highest ODI score in his career with w brutal innings of 181 not out which included 10 massive sixes and he pulverized the great New Zealand attack that time and the cricketing world looked in awe of the power hitting abilities of this Australia batsman. It was a special innings and one which is still remembered fondly by all Aussie fans.
111 vs India in Visakhapatnam (2001)
The amazing form of Matthew Hayden from the incredible test series against India in 2001 continued in the ODI series as well as he was consistently the best batter in the whole tour and this innings sparked how arrival in the ODI format as he played the Indian attack smartly in this match and brought up his first ODI hundred in this match and from here there was no looking back for Matthew Hayden as he became the tormentor for many opposition teams throughout his career.
