His technical mastery, unflappable temperament and a fondness for the big stage make Matthew Hayden a marvel on the field.
The veteran of many a battle unfurled some of his class at Port Elizabeth on Monday when he plundered the Royal Challengers Bangalore attack and made 65 off 35 balls to help Chennai Super Kings post the highest total of DLF Indian Premier League Season II and set up a huge 92-run win on Monday to haul the team’s campaign back on track after the defeat by Mumbai Indians on Saturday.
Off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan weaved web around the Royal Challengers Bangalore batsmen and his spell of three for 11 was the feature of Chennai Super Kings’ first win this season.
Hayden on song was a joy to watch but bowlers found him showing no mercy. Jacques Kallis was at the receiving end when the recently retired Australian opener went full throttle and scored 20, including two sixes and as many fours in one over.
Hayden was just as harsh on Praveen Kumar, Virat Kohli and Dale Steyn and the manner in which he scored against the Challengers’ attack, was breathtakingly good. With fellow left-handed Parthiv Patel (30 off 26 balls), he put on 100 runs in 58 balls for the first wicket but the strategy break saw them both lose their wickets soon after.
However, Suresh Raina (28), Mahendra Dhoni (16) and Andrew Flintoff (22) ensured that Chennai Super Kings reached a huge total and by the end had done enough to put a daunting target of 179 for the Challengers.
Later, Muralitharan showcased his brand of magic and had the Royal Challengers Bangalore batsmen in a tangle when he scalped Ross Taylor and Kevin Pietersen off successive deliveries in his first over. He then had Robin Uthappa stumped and Royal Challengers Bangalore was left biding time for a tame finish.
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