Matthew Hayden
An illustrious journey
Matthew Hayden made his Test debut against South Africa in Johannesburg in March 1994, but failed to make an impression with scores of 15 and 5. He was dropped, but made a comeback in the home series against West Indies in 1997-98, scoring his maiden Test ton in Australia's innings win in Adelaide. •Getty Images
He was given another opportunity, this time against West Indies at home in the summer of 2000. He made two fifties in Australia's 5-0 rout and convinced selectors to include him in the squad for the tour of India•Getty Images
Hayden and Harbhajan, who took 32 wickets in the series, were adjudged joint-winners for the Man-of-the-Series award•AFP
Hayden struck form in the home series against New Zealand, scoring a century on his home ground, the Gabba, in Brisbane. He finished the drawn series at an average of 59.4. However, he reached his prime in the subsequent series against South Africa, who were at the receiving end of many of his big knocks•Getty Images
In Sydney, he scored his third century in consecutive Tests to finish the series with 429 runs at an average of 107.25. He was involved in a mammoth 219-run partnership with Langer, as Australia won the match by ten wickets, and the series 3-0.•Getty Images
One of his more challenging innings came in the sweltering heat of Sharjah, against Pakistan in October 2002 as he made 119 in extreme conditions to help Australia win by an innings•Getty Images
He backed that performance up with 102 on Boxing Day in the fourth Test in Melbourne•Getty Images
Hayden scored 177 in that Test, and added 242 in just 55 overs with Langer, as Australia set West Indies a daunting fourth innings target of 418. Langer and Hayden recorded their fifth double-century opening partnership, to overtake Haynes and Greenidge, who had four•Getty Images
He capped off another successful year in Test cricket, scoring 136 and an unbeaten 53 in a series-leveling win against India in the third Test in Melbourne. He ended the year with 1312 runs, behind Ricky Ponting and Lara, in 12 Tests, at an average of 77.17•Getty Images
He passed 5000 runs in his 55th Test - the sixth-fastest to have reached that milestone•Getty Images
He was a part of an Australian team that the lost the Ashes, in England, for the first time in almost 20 years. Hayden failed to deliver in the first four Tests, averaging just 22, as Australia lost the series 2-1•Getty Images
He continued to torment South Africa in the back-to-back home and away series, scoring two centuries and three fifties in six Tests between December 2005 and March 2006•AFP
But after an Achilles injury forced him out of the tour of West Indies in 2008, he struggled on his return and managed just 42 runs in the first two Tests in India, including two ducks, as he was found out by Zaheer Khan, who dismissed him thrice in four innings. He struck form in the next two Tests, scoring fifties in each, but ended the series with a relatively disappointing average of 33.4•Getty Images
A run of poor performances in the subsequent tour of South Africa, where he managed just 64 runs in five innings, cost him his place in the team. He made a return on the tour of New Zealand in 2000, but failed to deliver, and was promptly left out•Getty Images
The three-Test series in India marked a turning point in Hayden's career. He scored 549 runs at a staggering average of 109.8. He made his second Test century, a match-winning one, in the first Test in Mumbai, and a then career-best 203 in the final game in Chennai•Getty Images
A disappointing tour of England followed where, despite Australia's 4-1 triumph in the Ashes, Hayden's individual performance left a lot to be desired. He averaged 33.42 in eight innings, with just one half-century•Getty Images
An aggressive century in the first Test in Adelaide was followed by a more patient 138 in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, where he combined with Langer to add 202 for the first wicket•Getty Images
For his tremendous run in 2001, Hayden was awarded the prestigious Allan Border Medal •Getty Images
Hayden followed that up with 89 in the third Test as Australia sealed a 3-0 whitewash. •Hamish Blair/Getty Images
Hayden notched up his first century in the Caribbean, in the second Test against West Indies in Port of Spain in April 2003. He made an unbeaten 100 in the second innings as Australia won by 188 runs•Getty Images
The highlight of his career: a record-breaking 380 against Zimbabwe in Perth in October 2003. His knock included 38 fours and 11 sixes, and was scored at a strike rate of 87•Getty Images
His 50th Test, in Sydney, was Waugh's last. Hayden did score a half-century in the first innings, but the match ended in a draw and India retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy•Getty Images
Hayden was part of the first Australian team to beat India in India after 35 years. Australia won the series 2-1, but Hayden managed just one half-century in eight innings•AFP
He returned to form, stroking 138 in the drawn fifth Test at The Oval. He followed that up with back-to-back centuries against West Indies in Brisbane and Hobart, and then went past 5000 partnership runs along with Langer - the first pair after Greenidge and Haynes to have achieved that feat•Getty Images
Hayden finished the Ashes series in 2006-07 with an average of 51.6. He and Langer batted together for the last time in the fifth Test in Sydney; Langer had announced it was going to be his final Test. Hayden and Langer finished with 5655 partnership runs for the first wicket, second only to Greenidge and Haynes, at an average of 51.88, including 14 century-stands.•Getty Images
He favoured the sweep shot and used it relentlessly against India's spinners, particularly Harbhajan Singh•Getty Images
Michael Slater's poor form resulted in him being left out of the fifth Test at The Oval. Justin Langer replaced him and immediately scored a hundred, adding 158 for the opening wicket with Hayden in the process. It was a sign of things to come as the pair went on to become the most lethal opening combination after Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes•Getty Images
Hayden ended 2001 as the top run-getter, scoring 1391 runs in 14 Tests at an average of 63.22, including five centuries and as many fifties•Getty Images
South Africa's woes continued after Hayden scored his fourth consecutive century - only the tenth player to do so at the time - in Johannesburg. Hayden almost scored five in a row, when he made 63 and 96 in the second Test in Cape Town•Touchline/Getty Images
He continued his good form at home, scoring 197 in the first innings of the Brisbane Test, his first Ashes century, and made England toil once again in the second innings, making 103. He became the 11th Australian to score centuries in each innings of a Test•Getty Images
It was an acrimonious Test series as Steve Waugh's tactics of "mental disintegration" came in for serious criticism. Hayden, too, didn't hesitate to sledge, getting involved in an heated exchange with Brian Lara in the fourth Test in Antigua•Getty Images
Hayden was the proud owner of the record for less than six months, as Lara reclaimed it in April 2004 •Getty Images
Hayden returned to the subcontinent, and continued his good form in conditions that favoured spin•Getty Images
It marked the beginning of a slump in form, as he failed to score a century in 16 Tests between October 2004 and August 2005. He made 842 runs in that period, averaging just 30.07. •AFP
Hayden also excelled as a slip fielder. He fielded particularly well to the spin of Shane Warne, and ended up with 128 Test catches•Tom Shaw/Getty Images
He made three successive Test centuries against India at home in 2007-08•AFP