matthew-hayden-played-the-perfect-innings-of-380

[mortaza]

Record ... Matthew Hayden pulls against Zimbabwe in 2003.

Source: News Limited

MATTHEW Hayden recalls it as the most perfect innings he has ever played — yet it was almost the world record that never was.

It's 10 years since a sweat-stained Hayden completed a 10 hour, 22 minute batting extravaganza against Zimbabwe at the WACA that netted what was then the highest score in Test history, 380.

He started it at 10am on the first morning and by the time he was dismissed at 3.04pm the following day Hayden ensured he would be a fresh entry in that year's Guinness Book of Records with a quirky bunch of Australians including a man who donated more blood (480 litres) than anyone else in the world and a group of lawn bowlers in Ballina who, in whites and then pyjamas, played the world's longest game (56 hours)

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But Hayden's epic performance, nourished by a week of nightly pumpkin soup room service meals which just kept hitting the spot, almost didn't happen.

Read story here 10 years today http://talkyuhcricket.net/forum/viewtop ... f=38&t=392

news.com.au

[mikesiva]

Thanks for this, mortaza....

I never really saw his innings as much to celebrate, because this was minnow-bashing. Zimbabwe were never a force in world cricket, and they still aren't. At least when Lara scored 375 and 400 not out, it was against England. That England team actually won the series 3-0 when Lara broke the record a second time.

Lara said in his book that when he called Hayden to congratulate him, the Aussie behaved in such an arrogant way that he vowed to take back the record, which he did six months later. And when Lara broke the record, the Aussies made all sorts of snide remarks in public about Lara playing for himself, no Aussie would do that, etc.

I'm just glad that Hayden no longer holds the world record...he's no rival to Lara. He just had one big innings, and a few others, which makes him a good batsman, but not a great one. The really great ones of that era were Lara, Tendulkar and Ponting.