South Africa Keen To Exploit Uncertainty Around Hayden

The Age

Thursday December 18, 2008

By CHLOE SALTAU, PERTH

WHISPERS about Matthew Hayden's future are building to a crescendo, just as South Africa hoped they would.

They have reached the ears of his former opening partner and great friend, Justin Langer, who senses Hayden is unsure whether to bat on towards next year's Ashes or call an end to his storied career at the end of the summer - a decision that could be taken out of his hands if he cannot conjure a revival soon.

And it is a topic of conversation among South African players who, on the engrossing opening day of the series, set a plan for Hayden that had the paws of former England coach and Proteas consultant Duncan Fletcher all over it, and heartily celebrated the 37-year-old's wicket for 12.

Makhaya Ntini has enjoyed immense success against Hayden - only Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has knocked him over more often - but the veteran South African quick made a wayward beginning yesterday and was punished for bowling too full, allowing the Queenslander to drive three powerful boundaries.

As soon as Ntini changed his approach to around the wicket and hit a shorter length, Hayden succumbed, poking an edge to first slip and reigniting debate about his future.

It is precisely this speculation that Langer suggests is creating distractions for Hayden, who has not scored a century since the final Test against India last summer and has averaged 22 since returning from the long-term Achilles injury that ruled him out of the winter tour of the West Indies.

Langer, who is working as a commentator for ABC Radio two summers after his own retirement, believes if Hayden sets the 2009 Ashes as his goal, the runs will follow.

"My gut feeling at the moment ... is that maybe he is not sure. There are whispers about retirement, whispers about how long he is going to go on for and that can become a distraction," he said.

"If he decides he wants to go to England, brilliant, he will get on (with it) and his mind will allow him to keep scoring runs.

"If he doesn't, if there is a bit of a grey area, then he is going to keep going through what is, by his standards, a rough patch.

"The important thing is to have good communication between the selectors and Matthew Hayden ... and they go from there."

Hayden's experience and leadership remain of vital importance to a changing Australian team, but if he is not going to be around in England next winter, the selectors will surely want to blood a replacement before then, and take another opener to South Africa for three Tests in the autumn.

The pecking order among openers around the country is changing, too. Phil Jaques, who scored a century in his most recent Test, is planning a gradual return from back surgery through grade cricket and NSW next month, and Shaun Marsh - the reserve batsman on the Indian tour - lately has been upstaged by the Blues' bright opening prodigy, Phil Hughes.

Or, whenever it's time to choose a replacement for Hayden, the selectors may prefer the younger Hughes to Chris Rogers, who fell from favour after his Test debut last summer but has compelling figures this season, with 661 runs at 82.62.

Hayden climbed off the canvas at the Oval in 2005, when he snapped a much longer lean streak and the runs returned.

Opening partner Simon Katich backed him to do it again. "It's a tough job going out there and facing the new ball, particularly against their attack," he said.

"He'll be disappointed with how he got out today, but he's a quality player and he'll bounce back. He's been through it all. He knows how to deal with it."

© 2008 The Age

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