'Great things happen to good cricketers' - Lara to Hayden

The left-handers' club, of which Matthew Hayden is now the chairman of the board, were out in force to congratulate the new holder of the world record for Test runs after his 380 at Perth today. The man he beat, Brian Lara, rang to congratulate him. Mark Taylor, who jointly held the previous Australian record of 334 with Sir Donald Bradman, was quickly into the dressing room. Clive Lloyd, now a match referee, used Wisden Cricinfo's ball-by-ball scorers to get a message of congratulations through to Hayden.

"I am not sure if a moment ever sinks in like this," said Hayden. "They are fantastic moments. I guess that's why you play cricket. That's why we play the game and love the game. We cherish certain moments along the way. Today was such a special event."

He had been eagerly awaiting the mark after passing 334. "I am really privileged to have been given the chance because of the way we play our game. Often we don't get the chance to experience something like this. It was unique in the moment because this opportunity may not ever come along again."

He felt that Steve Waugh, the captain, would like to see the world record broken. "I felt a little greedy coming out again after tea. Perhaps I got my just desserts. It was a good catch, I was a bit disappointed with that too.

Lara said to him, "Great things happen to good cricketers," and he told Hayden that he enjoyed the way Australia played cricket, and he was pleased to see the record go to the Australian side.

Hayden said: "We do play a pretty unique game. We love scoring runs quickly. We love putting sides under pressure. I think this is not only a great moment for me but a celebration for Cricket Australia and the way we play our cricket. I am really pleased that it has happened to us, because it is one more step."

The fact that the side did live its moments together was evident the way the side was so quickly onto the field to greet him as he walked off at the tea break. "We're away from our friends and family which is a difficult thing. We share a lot of very, very special times. I am privileged that this is my moment and that they made it their moment as well."

Hayden said he felt good going into the second day of his innings, he was relaxed and felt like he hadn't batted at all yesterday. He was ready to put on as many runs as he could. "I think when you are batting well you are almost like in a vacuum. In that vacuum you feel that time just shreds away and runs come as a consequence of actually being in that vacuum. In particular, venues like Perth where it is just so quick, the outfield is so quick, and it seems that you just roll along and the scoreboard just ticks along as well."

He said he had been in some trouble leading into the Test match with his back but physiotherapist Errol Alcott had helped him and it had probably been a good thing in helping his concentration. "You tend to get distracted by how your body is feeling rather than your actual performance. I was able to use that to my advantage," said Hayden.

"I didn't go out there with the plan to overly dominate the play," said Hayden. "I was going to have a steady start to the day. It sits very uncomfortably with me as it should. I was never really haunted by Bradman's record, because I am sure he'd have an enormous amount of respect for anyone who even came close to any of his records. The fact is we wear the same baggy green. I am certain of the fact that the 12 guys who are wearing the baggy green cap are as proud as the Don would have been wearing it in his day as well. For me there are no ghosts in that closet to open."

Hayden said the cap was special to him and recalled how his was sent to him in the mail in 1993. He wore it to bed the first night he had it, but he now prefers the method of an Australian icon presenting players with their caps.

Adam Gilchrist had been busy on his own during the innings, he said. "It was the Gilchrist show once again, a hundred off 88 balls. I felt like I was there just watching the highlights show. It won't be forgotten in the statistics but on the day it perhaps will be. That's a position that I am rarely in with Gilly, thats for sure."

Gilchrist said of the day: "I have been fortunate enough to be involved in two important pieces of history recently, first Stephen Waugh's innings in Sydney and now Matthew Hayden's record-breaking mark. Simply amazing. A just reward for his perseverence."

Taylor commented: "I must admit I got a bit nervous for him in the 290s. It gave me a little bit of a reflection back about five years ago, when I was lucky to get to that sort of total. I found I got nervous in the 290s then once I got to 300 it was all a bit of a blur. I think you don't set about breaking a record. When the moment arrives you just enjoy it to the absolute fullest and then you move on. That's what I am sure Brian Lara would think, he had his moment in 1993, I had mine in 1998 and Matthew has got his right now."