Australian Test great Jeff Thomson says national selectors seem to lack the courage to put Matthew Hayden out of his misery and end the opener’s international career once and for all.
Thomson on Thursday questioned what game selectors were playing after omitting Hayden from the one-day international series and Twenty20 teams – but refusing to rule the struggling left-hander out of contention for this year’s tours of South Africa and England.
“I have no idea the way those selectors think,” Thomson told AAP.
“They say they’re giving him a break to get his form back and all that but, Christ, I don’t know. It just seems like a soft option for them.
“They were going to do the whole deal and are sneaking up on it this way.”
Fellow great Doug Walters said he feared the worst for 37-year-old Hayden, who averaged just 19.5 with the bat during Australia’s 2-1 series loss to the Proteas, his 39 in Sydney this week his highest score in five Tests.
“That’s probably the end of Matthew Hayden,” Walters said.
“Unless he gets to finish the season off in grand style at the Sheffield Shield, it looks like it might be the swansong for him.
“I know it’s only a matter of time before he was going to do it (get runs) in Test cricket.
“The fact is he’s not getting any younger … we’ve already been beaten by South Africa here. Maybe they’re thinking to blood a new guy against South Africa and then onto England.”
But Walters said Phil Hughes should be high on the list of players to possibly replace Hayden in the Test side.
“Phil Hughes would be high on the thing, but Phil Jaques hasn’t played either this year, so you can’t pick him in the side.
“It’s probably a mistake to drop (Hayden), but I wouldn’t say they acted rashly. He’s had a few opportunities.”
Gary
Guest
Australian cricket should be playing the best players in the test team. Yes, some players have 'ups and downs' but Haydons 'down' is going on for too long and there are some great players deserving a chance.
Rabbitz
Guest
I can't believe that Hayden (and others in the Australian cricket team) could be so full of themselves. In today's Telegraph he is quoted as saying "Ultimately it will be my call to look in the mirror and say, 'Mate it is time to go' . . . or it's time to saddle up, pull your socks up and get on with South Africa and the Ashes,". I am sorry it is not up to him if he stays in the team. It is only up to him to leave. Ultimately the selectors are the only ones who can say if he is staying. There seems to be this belief by the senior players that is is their birth right to stay as long as they like. This is being brought about by having players mates as the selectors, i.e. the old boy network. So maybe it is time for CA to change the way selectors are chosen. Maybe ex-players shouldn't be able to select until all of the players they played with or coached are not selection candidates? It is plainly obvious that the selectors don't have the backbone to sack Hayden, one of their mates, so rather than let this drag on CA should remove the problem from the selectors and direct them to "put him out of his misery" or simply not renew his CA contract..