Matthew Hayden

Adelaide: A hamstring injury took Matthew Hayden out of the XI at the Waca and, boy, Australia missed him dearly. Clearly, he’s indispensable.

Hayden, who has 8,139 runs in Tests (average of 53.20, 29x100) and 5,835 runs in ODIs (average of 44.20, 10x100), had a one-on-one with The Telegraph in the lead-up to the final Test.

The following are excerpts

On what made him open

Because that’s where I could bat the longest... I love batting... Love batting at the nets too... I think Ricky (Ponting) and I are the last to leave the nets... I don’t like leaving anything to chance and, so, the seriousness at nets.

On the opener he idolised

I didn’t, really... It’s after starting off that I got influenced by the Michael Slaters and Mark Taylors...

On who makes a good opener

Somebody who is prepared to weather the storm, somebody ready to bat for long periods and somebody who has the hunger to be prolific... Somebody who is as aggressive if not more than the bowlers he comes across. You can leave the ball aggressively too.

On whether there’s an ideal mindset for openers

(Laughs) Certainly an ideal mindset for Matthew Hayden, which is to watch every ball... If I’m thinking of something else, then I’ve left something to chance in my preparations.

On whether, given that he’s 36, age is a factor

No... I know that when I do give it up, it will be because of the mind and not the body.

On middle-order batsmen being moved to the top of the order

They could open, why not? I think the mindset is important.

On his top five openers (in order of his rating):

Gordon Greenidge: Very aggressive, with an incredible style... His aggression wore the opposition down... Had a lot of hunger and was a tough cricketer.

Desmond Haynes: His style was different from Greenidge’s, but was very attacking and always wanted to make a big impact... I enjoyed seeing him open with Greenidge.

Justin Langer: Had a combative nature and thrived as an opener... In a lot of ways, he was like a spider which would quietly crawl up and sting the bowlers... I liked the way he used soft hands to get those runs in the third-man area... He was, actually, an ideal foil for me as I’d be like a bulldozer.

Michael Slater: I loved his passion and aggression... He definitely wore his heart on the sleeve... He had a very good technique as well... His technical foundation was solid... He took my place and I took his, but we enjoyed the competition.

Mark Taylor: A tremendous opener... His ability to leave the ball was legendary... Was very solid and you could take his runs to the bank... Plus he was a good leader who never fluctuated too much. I learnt a lot from him.

On the newer openers who have a bright future

Phil Jaques is certainly one... Alastair Cook is young and is bound to improve...

Finally, his message for emerging openers

It’s not an easy job, so you need to have a big heart... Have great intent technically and the ball shouldn’t beat you... You’ve got to score, yes, and do so in areas where the percentage favours you... Wear down the bowlers... Besides, be willing to improve.