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While still shaking his head over Simon Katich’s sacking, Matthew Hayden believes careers will be on the line in Australia’s upcoming Test series in South Africa.
The man who replaced Katich – the mercurial Phil Hughes – was the first name that came to mind for Hayden due to his “very obvious” weaknesses.
But ex-Test opener Hayden believed lining up against the Proteas would prove a “good sorting out period” for all of the rebuilding Australian team.
“I think there are some careers on the line,” Hayden said in Brisbane on Thursday.
“But as an athlete … you want to have it on the line.
“(Because) you accept your performance and either get better from it or … sit back like I did for six or seven years and try and get better at Shield level.
“I think it will be a tough series for Australia … but I think they have what it takes to win.
“It’s a good sorting out period – it is very important this summer that we get our combinations right.”
Hughes may have hit a century in his last Test – 126 against Sri Lanka in Colombo – but Hayden still singled him out ahead of the South African series which starts in Cape Town on November 9.
“In my mind the dropping of Katich was one of the most mysterious,” he said.
“Phil needs to step up. He needs to be consistent – and that will be tested in South Africa.”
South Africa have already vowed to make amends for the 2009 series in which Hughes made 415 runs in three Tests.
History shows he struck a century in each innings in the second Test in Durban that sealed a series-winning victory.
If Hughes still didn’t know what to expect from South Africa, Hayden offered some free advice.
“He is going to have some good, hostile bowling – they are going to test out his weaknesses which are very obvious,” he said.
“(In Test cricket) you need to have two things – an attacking game and a defensive game.
“If either is not quite right then you get found out really quickly.
“Defensively he (Hughes) knows he is a little vulnerable.
“He has made some solid adjustments … which has put him in a position now where we want to see some results.”
While tipping some Test players may be nearing the end of their careers, Hayden is preparing to extend his in the upcoming Big Bash League for Brisbane Heat.
Hayden – 40 on Saturday – agreed that entering the new league was a “risk” but believed he still had what it takes to hold his own in the Twenty20 tournament starting in December.
Despite being a Cricket Australia board member for two years, Hayden also appeared to have a slight dig at CA when he backed the recent findings under the Don Argus-led review into the national team’s performance.
Asked if we were any closer to finding our next spinner, Hayden said: “For me it is about having a plan on what the future looks like.
“And if anything came out of the review, that succession plan is the most important thing.
“To actually look at what the future looks like in 10 years and get busy about trying to recruit some coaching that allows us to develop our spin bowlers – I think we have been devoid in that area for some time.
“We have had the same people going around – a shift in thinking is a good thing for cricket.”
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