If Matthew Hayden does not decide to end his career after this match,Australia’s selectors must be brave enough to finish it for him
Brydon Coverdale at the MCG29-Dec-2008
If the MCG Test turns out to be Hayden’s send-off it will already be a more fitting exit than other former players received, for Melbourne has been his favourite venue © Getty Images
If Matthew Hayden does not decide to end his career after this match,Australia’s selectors must be brave enough to finish it for him. Inthe increasingly likely event that South Africa win the series inMelbourne and the Sydney Test becomes a dead rubber, it would be theperfect time to audition a new partner for Simon Katich in alow-pressure situation.It’s a shame that it has come to this but Hayden’s struggle has becomeso difficult to watch and such a concern for his middle-ordercolleagues that he can’t go on. They are already trying to carry anunfit Andrew Symonds and a weak Hayden adds significantly to theburden. Great players earn credits at the selection table but like ablackjack player running out of chips, Hayden’s failures in the BoxingDay Test have been two busts too many.Even if Australia somehow avoid defeat at the MCG – final-day rainlooks like their only chance – there is merit in throwing a fresh faceinto the Sydney Test. Look what happened when South Africa gave JPDuminy a chance. And with a trip to South Africa fast approaching andthe Ashes in England to follow, Australia cannot support anout-of-form opener any longer.Hayden has made two half-centuries from 15 innings since returning to the Test side for the tour of India after recovering from an ongoingheel injury. In Australia’s four home Tests this summer he has 79 runsat 11.28. His lean run pales in comparison with the infamous slump ofanother left-hand opener, Mark Taylor, who from 1995 to 1997 went 21Test innings without passing fifty.Taylor was extremely fortunate to keep his position but he had two things on his side: he was the captain of a winning outfit and at 33 it was felt he had several good years left. At 37 and in a team that is starting to lose more than it wins, Hayden has neither get-outclause.Nor is there room for sympathy. A farewell Test at the SCG would be a sentimental moment but Australian selectors have not been noted for their compassion in previous seasons. Ian Healy’s last Test was in Zimbabwe and he was denied the chance to say goodbye with one final match at his home ground the Gabba.Mark Waugh ended with a Test in Sharjah, though he didn’t know it washis finale. He wanted to play on for the 2002-03 Ashes; the selectorsdid not pick him and he took the hint and retired. If the MCG Test turns out to be Hayden’s send-off it will already be a more fitting exit than Healy and Waugh received; Melbourne has been Hayden’s favourite venue.But does the new group of selectors under Andrew Hilditch have the same clinical approach as the panel did when Trevor Hohns was in charge? They should remember that when Healy was nudged aside, his replacement Adam Gilchrist won over the Brisbane crowd by the end of his first match. The Australia players had a new match-winner in their side. Fans and team-mates move on.And how will they ever know if there’s another star waiting infirst-class cricket unless they try him? The New South Wales openerPhillip Hughes, 20, is having a phenomenal season. He’s the same agethat AB de Villiers was when he made his Test debut and Australia needonly think back a week to realise what de Villiers has learnt in fouryears on the international scene.Does the new group of selectors under Andrew Hilditch have the same clinical approach as the panel did when Trevor Hohns was in charge? They should remember that when Healy was nudged aside, his replacement Adam Gilchrist won over the Brisbane crowd by the end of his first match. Fans and team-mates move on Then there’s Chris Rogers, who played the Perth Test last summerbefore losing his Cricket Australia contract. He is 31, but a switchof states has revitalised him and he is averaging 82.62 this season.In any case, Phil Jaques should be fit by the time the Ashes comesaround and he and Simon Katich can form a strong partnership. It wouldbe useful to have a backup who has had a decent taste of the action.When Hayden was caught driving to short cover for 23, he trudged offthe MCG with his head bowed. It was not the exit he envisaged andinjuries to Brett Lee and Symonds might yet save him for Sydney.Australia will be loath to lose three long-standing players in oneTest.Symonds carried a knee problem into the Boxing Day Test and wastentative in the field and unable to bowl medium-pace. His scores of27 and 0 will increase the calls for Shane Watson to replace him. Ifboth a hobbling Symonds and his great mate Hayden play in Sydney itwill be a poor reflection on the selectors. Opportunities forrisk-free change don’t come often in Australian cricket. This chancecannot be let to slip.