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Even in retirement, Matthew Hayden remains firmly on the front foot, willing to attack at any opportunity.
The former Australian opening batsman was well known for his intimidation; a reputation earned via his aggressive batting, imposing physique and penchant for harsh sledging.
Highlighting that the only thing that has changed post his playing days is that he no longer has a bat in his hands, Hayden has been in the news during the week, after launching verbal assaults on ex-Australian coach Mickey Arthur and current Test captain Michael Clarke.
After Arthur had talked about his belief that Australian cricket is a ‘old boys club’, and that ex-players have a lot of influence on the culture of the team, Hayden responded in the only fashion he knows how: aggressively.
On Fox Sports News, Hayden said: “Mickey Arthur’s got no right to have an opinion, in my books.”
“He talks about an old boys’ club – correct Mick, we are an old boys’ club. We’re 450-plus players that have played for our country.”
“We’re proud of our culture, we’re proud of our community of cricketers, and one thing that we can’t stand is actually being interrogated on our watch in terms of criticising the fabric of the baggy green.”
Later that night, Hayden was back on Fox Sports, this time on The Back Page, and he had Michael Clarke in his sights when discussing the poor performance of the Australian Test team in England.
“We’re forgetting the one element here that we’re not looking at and that is Michael Clarke’s leadership. Michael Clarke came in ahead of the Ashes and said ‘I won’t be defined by the Ashes series’.”
“Well, I’m sorry Michael, but the reality is mate, you’re the captain of Australia. Predecessors were Allan Border, Ricky Ponting, Steve Waugh, Adam Gilchrist. These guys said ‘mate, I’m the captain, on my watch, we’re not losing.’ ”
Though he praised Clarke’s tactical nous, it was clear Hayden believes there is more to leading a team that setting fields and scoring runs, and that Clarke is clearly deficient in some major areas of captaincy.
Yet, in my opinion, it was a throwaway question and comment from Robbert ‘Crash’ Craddock’ that was most insightful, and wasn’t interrogated nearly enough.
While still discussing the captain, Craddock mentioned that the Australian dressing room – during Hayden’s career – never really warmed to Clarke.
Hayden did very little to dismiss that perception, ambiguously replying that Clarke was the pup of the squad when he came into the team, and just a ‘chubby little kid’.
The answer – or lack thereof – was all but an outright admission of Craddock’s assertion that Clarke was not held in the highest of regards within the Australian dressing room.
This is not necessarily news in and of itself.
By now everyone knows about Clarke’s changeroom altercation with Simon Katich, Clarke’s falling out with Andrew Symonds has also been well documented, while the strained relationship between Clarke and Shane Watson was front-page news just recently.
No one denied James Anderson’s account that Damien Martyn told him he should whack Clarke in the head.
There were also strong rumours that Michael Hussey ended his international career under bad terms with Clarke.
Meanwhile, reports have surfaced that the reason Stephen O’Keefe is continually overlooked for Australian selection, is because Clarke and he don’t get along.
Lastly, a player on the 2009 Ashes tour told me first hand that Clarke was not exactly the most loved individual in the playing squad.
Read those last four paragraphs back, and then decide for yourself whether or not there is mounting evidence that suggests Clarke may not be a great teammate.
Does that even matter though?
Kevin Pietersen is living proof that you don’t have to be popular – or a good teammate – in order to be an elite level batsman. Having said that, KP’s captaincy reign wasn’t exactly smooth or successful either.
Clarke is a wonderful batsman, and a brilliant tactical skipper.
I bow to no one in my praise of his ability to score runs, and astutely lead a team on the field. But there is clearly more to being a captain than just those two qualities.
Under Clarke’s watch, the discipline of the team has fallen away, selections have been an absolute joke, a coach has been fired, the team has been in the news for all the wrong reasons, and above all, the performances on the field have been dreadful, with a clean sweep in India, and the team failing to win a Test so far in the Ashes.
These issues are not all Clarke’s fault, but by the same token, they are all facts that can’t be disputed.
The major issue with Australian cricket at present is that the talent stocks are pretty low, and that means the losses are piling up.
With losses comes the magnification of problems. Conversely, winning can mask a lot of issues.
Is Clarke simply unlucky, or is he not quite right for the role of the most important job in Australian cricket?
I’m a massive fan of Clarke’s on-field captaincy, and his batting cannot be called into question. This is not a witch-hunt, nor a call for Clarke’s head.
However, I do feel it’s only fair that Clarke’s overall leadership is put under the microscope and analysed.
And there is a chance we may not like what we find.