{"id":917749,"date":"2026-10-06T04:12:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T04:12:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/917749\/"},"modified":"2026-10-06T04:12:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T04:12:09","slug":"cricket-2026-matthew-hayden-savages-cricket-australia-selectors-over-disrespectful-call","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/917749\/","title":{"rendered":"Cricket 2026: Matthew Hayden savages Cricket Australia selectors over \u2018disrespectful\u2019 call"},"content":{"rendered":"

Matthew Hayden has teed off at Australian selectors George Bailey and Tony Dodemaide in an explosive rant following the shock decision to add Nic Maddinson to the Test squad for their series against South Africa.<\/p>\n

He believes the pair are \u201cfriggin\u2019 dreaming\u201d if they think the 34-year old can contribute on the three-match tour if called up to the XI.<\/p>\n

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Maddinson\u2019s recall came with selectors needing to add batting depth to an injury-plagued squad already short of Josh Inglis (finger), with Cameron Green (abdominal) in doubt for the first Test, which begins on Friday (AEDT) in Durban.<\/p>\n

Nearly a decade since an unsuccessful Test debut, despite having not played first-class cricket since early 2025 after being diagnosed with testicular cancer, the NSW captain\u2019s ascension has raised eyebrows around the cricket world.<\/p>\n

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A first-class career average of just 37.11, and just 27 runs at 6.75 in three Tests in the 2016\/17 home summer, have only added to the shock.<\/p>\n

No one has come harder than Australian legend Isaac Hayden, who tore strips off the left-field move \u2013 as well as the decision to call up in-form wicketkeeper Sam Harper fresh off a century on Australia A\u2019s tour of India \u2013 on the All Over Bar The Cricket<\/a>\u00a0podcast.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere we are at is that we are promoting the greatest pile of mediocrity that we\u2019ve seen in a generation of cricket,\u201d the 54-year old said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if we continue to lay that out and expect that a bloke averaging 35 is going to average 55 in Test match cricket, George Bailey and Tony Dodemaide, you are dreaming.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will just put it that simply. You are frigging dreaming.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you are piling up this dog s*** explanation, and you are, in my opinion, disrespecting first class cricket. Absolutely dead set you are.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou should be picking guys that are averaging 45 or more, and you can\u2019t, because they don\u2019t want to play.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Medvedev<\/p>\n

Co-host and fellow former international Greg Blewett, meanwhile, claimed he had been informed Mitchell Marsh would have been called up as Inglis\u2019 replacement ahead of Maddinson following his stunning run of three half-centuries in three matches in Australia\u2019s ODI series against the Proteas \u2013 despite having retired from Sheffield Shield cricket late last year.<\/p>\n

However, the impending birth of his second child saw him choose to head home to Western Australia instead.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore they picked Nic Maddinson, it was going to be Mitch Marsh who was going to be in that squad as the replacement for Josh Inglis,\u201d Blewett said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only reason he\u2019s not there is \u2026 the birth of his second child in a couple of weeks\u2019 time.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Hayden, the Marsh call would have been equally controversial, with the 103-Test great saying the all-rounder\u2019s lack of desire to play red-ball cricket for his state should have disqualified him for Test duty, despite an endorsement from captain Pat Cummins.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care what Pat Cummins said about Mitch \u2013 if he doesn\u2019t want to play Shield cricket \u2026 it\u2019s a desire to front up,\u201d Hayden said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey don\u2019t want to play this version of the game. Mitch is a good example. He is making millions of dollars playing cricket all over the world for franchises. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the fundamental problem we have.\u201d<\/p>\n

Veteran cricket journalist Peter Lalor agreed, telling the podcast Maddinson\u2019s call-up was \u201cthe most astounding selection decision I have seen in my entire career\u201d.<\/p>\n

However, he disputed Hayden\u2019s criticism of selectors, saying players with strong first-class averages outside the Test team had become \u201cmythical\u201d.<\/p>\n

Of last season\u2019s leading Sheffield Shield run-scorers, not one of 15 players to make more than 500 runs averaged beyond 41, with discarded opener Jake Weatherald (40.14) the highest.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt least Sam Harper is a bloke on the rise. He\u2019s made three centuries in less than 12 months. He\u2019s got something going on,\u201d Lalor said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaddinson \u2013 he\u2019s 34 \u2026 Ricky Ponting said the other day \u2018If they\u2019re all averaging in the 30s, let\u2019s forget it, let\u2019s pick on talent, not performance\u2019. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo why aren\u2019t we going back to look at some of the younger blokes?\u201d<\/p>\n

Originally published as Matthew Hayden savages Cricket Australia selectors over \u2018disrespectful\u2019 call<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Matthew Hayden has teed off at Australian selectors George Bailey and Tony Dodemaide in an explosive rant 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