Exclusive interview with Australia’s Matthew Hayden

Celebrated opening batsman – Matthew Hayden, needs no introduction in terms of accolades on the cricket field, having more than just a few to his name. He was one of the pioneers in redefined batting at the Test Cricket level and is famed for his aggressive intent in all formats of the game.

Aptly known as a ‘Gentle Giant‘; in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda.com, Matthew Hayden talks about his return to cricket to participate in the much talked about – Big Bash League in Australia, and life beyond Cricket and initiatives he is passionately involved with.

Excerpts:

What made you come out of retirement to be a part of the Big Bash League (BBL) in Australia and how has it been being a part of the BBL?

For me, it was where I could make most impact; I guess to sit around 14 men and talk about how we can reinvigorate the passion and the interest in the key stakeholders of the game – specifically in the gray area of the game that is, between fans in between the ages of 5 and 15 which largely seem to be disengaging with our sport. I guess that coupled with the knowledge that I can still play and I can still make a huge difference in building the brand and building the actual competition, and I guess playing with the Chennai Super Kings planted enough seed in my mind to at least explore this opportunity back at home in Australia.

There needed to be a lot of things that had to happen from a business sense, but I felt like it was a really great opportunity.

As you can see now, we have had record attendance numbers at the grounds, well over 500,000 people have attended the Big Bash League ahead of the finals, which is phenomenal. Every ground has had a record-breaking attendance. Fox Sports – the broadcast partners – have been second to none. It’s been a phenomenal success and people have really enjoyed the time slots and the actual experiences they have had during the broadcast. For me, the entire innovations and creative direction of the coverage has been really fun and I think has added great value and inspired people to come watch. That’s generally why, and I guess it’s just pure belief in something and it’s great to see that it has actually materialized.

How different is the Big Bash League from the IPL?

I think, simply put, I don’t think there has been the budget to put behind creating the extravaganza of the event of the Big Bash League. It’s probably just been smart business and being a bit penny-wise through the great stages of the competition. But, I can assure you that the actual cricket in itself and the way in which the players have engaged, and more specifically the two other key elements – the way the broadcast partners have engaged to create a truly innovative sort of coverage along with support of the fans has been very similar, if not better, than a higher population percentage based system that the IPL has been. So I think there are some really encouraging signs that the Big Bash League is not only a sustainable competition, but it is a very competitive one within the cricketing landscape widely.

I guess the other thing is that, marquee players from around the world are starting to participate in the Big Bash League. It is not just similar to the IPL; it has become a bit of a landmark – the IPL earlier and now the BBL. So comparatively, there are a lot of promising signs, even though the Big Bash League is truly a little brother compared to the vast population of India and the IPL.

Matthew Hayden’s bats have always made headlines, like the Mongoose that was used in the IPL; what are the specially painted bats that you have been using during the BBL this season?

Always having brought innovation and originality in my game throughout the length of my career, the bats that I have used in this season of the Big Bash League are specially hand painted bats that have been designed by local artists of the Australian Indigenous community of the Tiwi Islands, in relation to the Tiwi College Project.

It is just wonderful to have such fantastic talent in our original land that has not been known of yet. Through an initiative like the Tiwi College Project, we get the chance to leverage, build and create opportunity which otherwise wouldn’t have been handed out to people living in such remote areas.

Could you tell us a bit more about the Tiwi College Project and why it means so much to you?

The Tiwi College project is a part of a sustainable program that endeavors to provide development on a broader scale in terms of the way of life in general. It provides an opportunity for the Tiwi children who have enormous potential to equip themselves with basic secondary education. It helps us make a difference to a community that actually requires assistance and over the last two years, we have noticed considerable increment in the enrollments and the quality of the students and teaching has enhanced. For more details on our project, you can always visit : The Tiwi College .

Our original land owners have got one of the most unique and remarkable stories to tell. A part of that story has been how, like all minority indigenous communities around the world immigrate into mainstream communities and it seems to me actually that it is almost the wrong way around – that the minority have actually got a first say on those things, but that’s simply the way political ascendance works – they naturally don’t. So, I really wanted to explore the boundaries of that and to protect, nurture and hopefully support in any way I can, build the story around our indigenous population to the betterment of our great country, not the impairment of a minority group.

Can people from all over the world participate in the auction? Where could our readers find information with regards to the same?

Yes, aboslutely – people from all over the world can participate in the auction, where 4 of the bats that were used in the competition are up for grabs. Information for the same can be found on http://tiwicollegeproject.com/auction/ for those who are interested. All the proceeds from the auction will be sent to the community to help support the sustainability of this beautiful place and the people that inhabit the land. The inaugural 2011 Tiwi Ashes program helped us raise $ 250,000 towards the project.

What is ‘The Hayden Way’? What is it’s objective and what is your vision for your foundation/company?

It’s a little bit like my Cricket – the company is forged on the ‘next’ way of looking at it. So, from a cricket point of view, it was to entirely change the role of an opening batsman within the great game of Test Cricket. And that is built around playing a brand of cricket that is really exciting and that is really proactive that is really a brand of game which people would follow in the future. I guess the company is exactly like that as well. It doesn’t really matter what line of business, but in all aspects to be in the front of the wave, to participate in activities and programs that lead not follow, when it comes to the indigenous philanthropic endeavors – to promote indigenous and to promote what is a mystical and beautiful culture globally; if it’s in the media landscape – to promote and to create brands and platforms which inspire, which endeavor to change people’s lives for the better and to promote living a healthy, active and connected life – connection to work, connection to family and connection to the passion that you want to have in your life.

Being a young company, I would like to outline all those options as of today, but, I guess I never made a hundred overnight either. So, that’s where it really is at.