‘No-brainer’: Calls for Australia to use ‘genius’ Matthew Hayden amid Indian disaster
After Australia capitulated against India, calls are growing for a former legend to be brought in to talk some sense into the Aussies.
There are calls for Australia to use Matthew Hayden as a coaching consultant after sweep shots galore saw the batting line-up capitulate in the second Test against India.
In one of the worst batting collapses in recent history, Australia somehow went from 1/61 to all out for 113, losing 8/28 in less than a session to go 2-0 down in the series.
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The capitulation threw away any faint hope of winning a Test series in India for the first time since 2004 and ensured India retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after just six days of play.
Six Australians were dismissed in the second innings attempting cross-bat sweep shots, a tactic that has come under serious scrutiny.
Hayden is one of Australia’s greatest ever batters with 30 Test centuries, two of which he scored in India.
The former opener was one of the few players to have successfully executed sweep shots in Indian conditions, but he said it’s a shot that should be used sparingly, not as a go-to option.
Speaking on the Cricket Et Cetera podcast, he said the unpredictable “bounce of the ball” on Indian pitches meant sweeps and especially reverse sweeps, should rarely be used.
“The ball not going over the stumps means you can only sweep on line,” Hayden said.
“You’ve got to see what the Indian batsmen do and that’s come down to the ball. Once you start moving your feet, then they might start tossing it wide, then the sweep shot might be an option.
“I’m never a big fan of saying don’t sweep. I think that’s the wrong mentality because you already saw how productive the shot was. I’m just saying don’t sweep every ball.
“You can’t have it all in the game of cricket. Leave those sweep shots to hackers like myself.
“It was disappointing wasn’t it. You only have to look at the way Cares (Alex Carey) played that innings and you get a sense of desperation and that what’s India want.”
Former Australian captain Michael Clarke believes the Aussies should seek advice from Hayden, who is commentating the series on TV in India and was critical of the tourists’ shot selection.
Hayden has been a batting coach and mentor for Pakistan at the 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cups, with his rousing speech after Pakistan made the semi-finals in November winning the hearts and minds of cricket fans everywhere.
Clarke believes captain Pat Cummins and coach Andrew McDonald would be foolish not to seek advice from an Australian legend on the ground in India.
Australian head coach McDonald has former New Zealand international Daniel Vettori and Victoria’s Andre Borovec as his assistants.
Clarke said on the Sky Sports’ Big Sports Breakfast: “Look at the staff. Are we getting enough help here? Do we need some more advice, guidance?
“Something so simple. You’ve got Matthew Hayden in India at the moment commentating and Mark Waugh as well. They’re at the ground.
“So it’d be a no-brainer to go to someone like Matthew Hayden, who is a massive sweeper. He’s probably the only Australian batsman that has had success sweeping in India.
“Matty Hayden said it a hundred times on commentary yesterday, ‘Boys, I wouldn’t be sweeping here, don’t sweep, don’t sweep, don’t sweep’. These batters, go and took to Haydos, who’s a sweeping genius, because he’s telling you not to sweep.
“I feel we’re a little bit nervous to get outside help because it might be a little critical.
“I think if you just stay in your bubble in situations like this, that’s where it gets harder because you keep making the same mistakes and the fans get crazier. Do some things to try and get better, that’s what we need to try to do.”
Cummins will fly back to Australia briefly due to a family illness before returning to India in time for the third Test in Indore, which begins on March 1.
Josh Hazlewood (Achilles) has also been sent home and will take no further part in the series.
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