Hayden blow for Northants (14 July 1999)

14 July 1999

Hayden blow for Northants

Charles Randall

The bottom county, Northamptonshire, will be losing Matthew Hayden, their captain and leading batsman, in a month's time for the rest of the season.

Hayden's selection for the Australia tour of Sri Lanka in August - along with three other county-contracted players, Michael Slater (Derbyshire), Greg Blewett (Yorkshire) and Justin Langer (Middlesex) - should hit Northamptonshire hard.

With no PPP Healthcare Championship match this week, Northamptonshire have Hayden available for only three more games. They were bottom at this halfway stage last season before finishing 15th, but a similar improvement will be difficult.

Blewett's absence should not affect Yorkshire's title chase too adversely as he has struggled to adapt to English pitches. Three fifties in 30 innings is an appalling record.

Simon Katich, Durham's overseas player for next season, was the only new name in Australia's tour party, announced yesterday.

Shane Warne only confirmed his availability last Friday after returning from the World Cup in England and expressing doubts about his international future.

Hayden, as expected, replaces Matthew Elliott, who was recalled in February when Mark Taylor retired. Elliott had an unproductive tour of the West Indies and was dropped for the final Test in Antigua.

Australia play four one-dayers and three Tests in Sri Lanka, before flying to Zimbabwe for an inaugural Test and three one-dayers.

David Trist, Auckland's coach, has been appointed to succeed Steve Rixon as New Zealand coach when the tour of England ends next month.

Rixon and John Graham, the manager, who were appointed in 1996, chose not to renew their contracts. Graham is to be replaced by Jeff Crowe.

Trist, 51, guided Eastern Province to the South African championship title during a spell in Port Elizabeth in 1993-95. He became Hong Kong's director of coaching last year before returning to New Zealand.

Carl Hooper, the former West Indies and Kent all-rounder, is considering several offers to play state cricket in Australia.

Hooper, who lives with his Australian wife in Adelaide, regards South Australia as his first choice. He emphasised he would not be reconsidering his decision to quit Test cricket.

Australia party (Sri Lanka & Zimbabwe tour): *S R Waugh, M J Slater, G S Blewett, M L Hayden, M E Waugh, J L Langer, R T Ponting, S M Katich, -I A Healy, C R Miller, S K Warne, S C G MacGill, J N Gillespie, D W Fleming, G D McGrath.

Australia one-day: *S R Waugh, M E Waugh, -A C Gilchrist, D S Lehmann, A Symonds, R T Ponting, M G Bevan, S K Warne, D R Martyn, T M Moody, P R Reiffel, D W Fleming, J N Gillespie, G D McGrath.

Source :: The Electronic Telegraph