Hayden shoved, but he’s a big man and hard to move
Hayden would be odds on to keep his place for the final test against South Africa. He has a big record behind him and with Symonds and Lee likely to be replaced, the selectors will be wary of going into a match with too little experience. These are just excuses however, the truth is that everyone is too scared to tell Haydos he has to go. Surely this is his last series, so what use in playing him in the dead rubber rather than giving his replacement a head start?
Good on Balls then for telling him he should go with dignity and to Cricinfo for shaming the selectors for not having the balls to drop him. In fact, they’re writing his obituaries over at Cricinfo already. How good is Haydos? they ask? Only as good as the bowlers are bad is the answer. Hayden will likely finish with an average over 50, 30 hundreds, a high score of 380…an awesome record. However, Hayden only really got going in 2001, 7 years after his debut, but which time “Hayden’s earliest tormentors – Donald and de Villiers; Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and Ian Bishop – had all conked out. Shaun Pollock’s zippiest days were behind him, Chris Cairns’ too. The few lethal quicks still in circulation were playing on the same side as Hayden”
December 31st, 2008 at 12:49 am
One thing I can’t over, Ben, is just how much the luck follows the braver and (slightly) better. The South Africans completely deserved their wins, but boy has the luck gone their way – exactly the sort of breaks the Aussies usually get, especially at home: … dropped catches; airy wafts finding the gaps; even umpiring decisions, which is where our Aussie friends normally reign supreme (the shockers Hussey’s got spring to mind).
You know what!? I’m thinking back to our recent series over there and wondering what might have been had we got the rub of the green.
December 31st, 2008 at 11:27 am
Hey Sam. Merry Christmas and welcome to Crucket.
You are so right about luck and who it chooses to favour. Cricket is such a game of momentum – form seems to matter as much as ability on any day. It is also remarkable how infectious good and bad performances can be. And as for umpiring, I have, in years passed, pulled out many clumps of hair in response to budding revivals of our struggling players cut short by decisions favouring the stronger team.
It is a real pity that with Australia more vulnerable than they have been in 16 or so years, that we sent such a weak team over there. A bit of luck might have mitigated the result but not changed it I think. Still, we get another chance in Feb. in the ODI series.