A long and winding road
Matthew Hayden’s career timeline
Cricinfo staff27-Nov-2008
Matthew Hayden reads the papers the day after posting a world-record 380 in a Test in Perth © Getty Images
November 1991 – Bursts on to the scene with 149 on first-class debut for Queensland against South Australia at the Gabba, only a few days after his 20th birthday. Finishes his first Sheffield Shield season as the competition’s leading run scorer.May 1993 – Makes his one-day international debut at the age of 21 on the tour of England. Scores 29 at Old Trafford but does not break into the Test side during the Ashes tour.March 1994 – Mark Taylor falls ill on the morning of a Test in Johannesburg, allowing Hayden to receive his baggy green. His debut is unremarkable – he scores 15 and 5 – apart from having his thumb broken by Allan Donald. In the next six years he manages only six more Tests.January 1997 – Scores his first Test century when he makes 125 against West Indies at the Adelaide Oval. His hundred took four and a half hours and his effort was overshadowed by Michael Bevan taking ten wickets for the match.March 2000 – Wins a permanent recall to the Test team during the tour of New Zealand when the incumbent opener Greg Blewett is dropped for good.March 2001 – Completes a remarkable Test tour of India as the leading run scorer from either team with 549 at 109.80. His trip concludes with a then career-best 203 in Chennai.April 2001 – Stamps himself on the one-day arena with his first ODI century when he makes 111 against India in Visakhapatnam.November 2001 – For the first time he reaches triple-figures in a Test at his home ground the Gabba. His 136 is part of a 224-run opening stand with Justin Langer. The two men are in their second Test as an opening combination – the partnership would last more than five years.February 2002 – Rounds out one of the purplest patches imaginable when he scores 122 in Johannesburg. It is the fourth consecutive Test in which he has made a century. He narrowly misses making it five in a row when he is dismissed for 96 in Cape Town.February 2002 – Wins the Allan Border Medal following a terrific 12 months in which he scored 1509 Test runs at 71.85. His tally of 1391 Test runs in the 2001 calendar year had been an Australian record.January 2003 – Is named a Cricketer of the Year.October 2003 – Enters the record books with the highest individual innings in Test history when he scores 380 against Zimbabwe at the WACA. He holds the mark for six months until Brian Lara posts the first quadruple-century in Test history.July 2004 – Scores a century in each innings of a Test against Sri Lanka in Cairns.November 2005 – Repeats his four-centuries-from-four-Tests effort when he brings up 110 against West Indies in Hobart. His run included 111 against the ICC World XI in Sydney.January 2007 – Regains his ODI spot permanently having been on the outer since the 2005 tour of England.February 2007 – Hammers the highest score ever by an Australian in an ODI when he makes an unbeaten 181 against New Zealand in Hamilton. Incredibly Australia lose the match but Hayden’s effort is remarkable all the same, considering he broke a toe during the innings.April 2007 – Finishes Australia’s successful World Cup campaign in the Caribbean as the tournament’s leading run scorer with 659 runs at 73.22 including three centuries, none of which came against minnows.January 2008 – Wraps up another outstanding Test series against India, this time at home, when he scores 103 in Adelaide to finish with 410 runs at 82 from three Tests.May 2008 – Misses the tour of West Indies with an Achilles injury.January 2009 – After struggling through a tour of India, finishes the home summer of Tests with 149 runs at 16.55. Receives a standing ovation when he walks off the SCG after making 39 in the second innings as speculation grows it will be his last Test. Is told by the selectors a few days later that he has been dropped from Australia’s one-day team.