As this year’s Indian Premier League enters the final straight in South Africa there can be no doubt that Matthew Hayden has been the tournament’s most effective player.
In a format that urges batsmen to take risks at a frenetic rate, consistency over a period of time seems an unachievable dream.
And yet it’s something the Chennai Super Kings opener has accomplished in amassing an extraordinary 426 runs from nine matches, averaging 47.33 at a strike rate of 151 runs per 100 balls.
PHOTO: AP
It’s a record that stands Hayden head and shoulders above all other batsmen in the 2009 IPL, securing the orange cap which signifies the tournament’s top run-scorer.
Even more staggering than the fact that he has made over 100 runs more than his closest competitor for the cap is that he has thrashed 30 runs or more in all but one of his nine innings.
It’s been a phenomenal effort from a player who was effectively forced into international retirement in January by a poor run of form that started in India last year.
After calling time on his career, Hayden did not hit a cricket ball for almost three months.
Just a week before the IPL season began he returned to the nets for some pre-tournament preparation.
However, he insists the peace of mind brought about by his retirement from the international game has done him wonders.
“The only reason that I’m playing the way I am now is because I have retired. I have been able to let go of the fact that I don’t want to play international cricket,” he told cricinfo.com this week.
“I know that I’ve only got a very short time playing cricket in this particular period, so I’ve got all my mind, skills and fitness towards the IPL,” he said.
“This is not the case with most other international players, who know they will leave this tournament and head straight to the Twenty20 World Cup, and then another international series, then the domestic cricket next summer — it is just never-ending cricket,” Hayden said.
The Super Kings are near certainties for the semi-finals, having recovered from a slow start to record five wins on the trot, with Hayden fronting that charge.
As someone who believes attaining peak mental condition is equally important to physical wellbeing, Hayden achieves the balance by going surfing and has taken full advantage of South Africa’s seas.
“During this tournament I’ve spent more time on the ocean than I have on a cricket field,” he said.
“It does give me an edge, because in a tournament which is played over half a day and when you play every other day, there is a lot of time spent on thinking cricket. You need to have a balance in life,” Hayden said.
HOMETOWN ZERO: Fans relished the fall of former Brewer-turned-Cubs manager Craig Counsell, as Milwaukee braces to face the Dodgers, who in 2018 denied them a pennant Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy has referred to his team as the “Average Joes,” a nod to their small-market status and lack of big names, but after they beat rivals the Chicago Cubs 3-1 in the decisive fifth game of their National League Division Series (NLDS) on Saturday night, Murphy decided it was time for an upgrade. “You can call them the average Joes, but I say they’re the above-average Joes,” he said. The Brewers relied on contributions from just about every player to get past the Cubs. Andrew Vaughn hit a tiebreaking homer in the fourth inning, and William Contreras and Brice
Mexico’s teenage playmaker Gilberto Mora has lit up the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile as he basks in the limelight afforded by the absences of Barcelona and Real Madrid stars Lamine Yamal and Franco Mastantuono. “I don’t know if I’m the biggest star, and I’m not really interested in that. I think you can always give more,” 16-year-old Mora said before Mexico’s 4-1 win against host nation Chile in the round-of-16 on Tuesday, in which he provided the assist for the opening goal. Next on Mora’s schedule is a quarter-final clash against Argentina this morning Taiwan time, but after
‘IT’S BASEBALL’: In just the second error to end a post-season series in the MLB, the Phillies reliever fumbled a comebacker and threw to home, despite the signal Eyes red, Orion Kerkering on Thursday received words of support from his Philadelphia Phillies teammates. “Just keep your head up. It’s an honest mistake. Just, it’s baseball,” he remembered hearing. “You’ll be good for a long time to come,” they added. “It’s not my fault, then. We had opportunities to score,” was the message he kept getting. Kerkering made a wild throw past home plate instead of tossing to first after mishandling Andy Pages’ bases-loaded comebacker with two outs in the 11th inning. Pinch-runner Kim Hye-seong scored and the Phillies were eliminated with a 2-1 loss that gave the Los Angeles Dodgers a
It might not have been Xander Schauffele’s most prestigious tournament victory, but it should be the American’s most memorable. Schauffele yesterday shot a seven-under 64 to win the Baycurrent Classic in Japan — a country where his Taiwan-born mother grew up and where he has many connections. Schauffele, who shot 19-under 265 over four rounds at the Yokohama Country Club, finished one shot ahead of American Max Greyserman, who was also the runner-up at the event a year earlier as he chases his first PGA Tour title. When she was four years old, Schauffele’s mother, Chen Ping-yi, moved to Japan, where her Taiwanese
RSS