World Cup Heroes: Matthew Hayden bulldozes opposition in 2007

Not too many sights in cricket were as intimidating as that of an imposing Matthew Hayden, striding out to take strike. Hayden exemplified a batting style that treated bowlers with utmost disdain. Deft touches and dabs, according to him were for the weaklings. Not that Hayden couldn't, but whyimprovisewhen you can tear the leather off the ball by hitting it in front of the wicket?

In retrospect, it is zany that Hayden, an integral member of the Australian teams in Tests and ODIs, capable of single-handedly demoralizing a bowling attack, made Australia's World Cup squad for the 2007 edition only because Shane Watson picked up an injury and Simon Katich went out of favour in the 2006-07 season. After being part of Australia's World Cup winning squad in 2003, Hayden suffered an alarming dip in form in 2005-06 season and lost his place in the ODI side. Circumstances conspired to bring him back to the team and he gave a timeless reminder of the age old cricketing saying - 'Form is temporary, class is permanent'.

Hayden was the shining light of Australia's batting in yet another undefeated World Cup campaign. Having won the previous two editions of the quadrennial event, the mighty Aussies came to the Caribbean as the overwhelming favourites and left with their fourth trophy, having swept aside all opposition. Hayden was at his bludgeoning best. He warmed up to the event with a 60 and a 29 against associates Scotland and Netherlands respectively. Then, in their final group stage game against perennial heavyweights South Africa in St. Kitts, Hayden blitzed his way to a 66-ball hundred, the fastest in World Cup history, till it was surpassed by Irishman Kevin O'Brien in 2011. The southpaw's onslaught helped Australia post a gargantuan 377/6 in 50 overs, a score that sealed an 83-run win.

Hayden carried his form to the super-eight stages where he tore down a hapless West Indian attack en-route a 144-ball 158, thus far the highest by an Australian in World Cup history. By his lofty standards, Hayden experienced a minor blip in the middle stages of the drawn out tournament. The 'blip' included scores of 47, 41 and 41 against Bangladesh, England and Sri Lanka as Australia marched towards the knockout stages unopposed. In Australia's final super-eight game against continental rivals, New Zealand, Hayden joined Mark Waugh and Sourav Ganguly in a elite list of players to have scored three centuries before the semi-finals of the World Cup, when he hammered a 100-ball 103 as Australia posted their fifth consecutive 300+ total batting first.

The burly left-hander scored 41 in the semi-final as Australia cantered towards South Africa's paltry total of 149 before his 38 in the final(the second highest score for Australia) was dwarfed by Adam Gilchrist's infamous 'squash ball' innings. For a man, who entered the 06-07 season uncertain about his future in the ODI format, Hayden finished the mega event with mind-boggling numbers.

His 659 runs at 73.22 was 111 more than those accumulated by Mahela Jayawardene, who finished in second place. Hayden became one of only two players to amass more than 600 runs in a World Cup. (Sachin Tendulkar scored 673 in 2003). More importantly, Hayden compiled these runs at a staggering strike-rate of 101.07, hitting more boundaries than any other batsman in the tournament. The only time he let a bowler beat him during the tournament was when teammate Glenn McGrath, 26 wickets at 13.73, pipped him to the player of thetournament award.