PARTING SHOT: Matthew Hayden retired from international cricket on Tuesday, bringing an end to an illustrious career that spanned 15 years.

Aussie batsman Matthew Hayden is undoubtedly one of the best openers modern cricket has seen

Matthew Hayden's retirement was inevitable. It was high time he called it a day. Though Hayden had the support of his teammates, the runs were not coming from his blade. Hayden himself knew it was time to bid adieu to cricket.u00a0

Hayden was a monstrous batsman. His personalityu00a0 intimated any bowler. If there is one batsman who personifies strength, it has to be Hayden. With a stunning Test average of 50 in over 100 Tests, Hayden was definitely one of the greatest Australian openers. But it cannot be said whether he was the best in the world.
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Second to none?u00a0

If openers from various Test teams are to be analysed, Hayden has some stiff competition. The South African skipper Graeme Smith can be compared to Hayden in many ways. Smith is a very consistent batsman who, like Hayden, has some power when he strikes the cherry.

Our very own Virender Sehwag is probably the most destructive batsman in world cricket today. And when on a rampage, can be more dangerous than Hayden. Sehwag has a couple of triple centuries to his credit and that speaks volumes of his potential.u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0

The newly-appointed English skipper Andrew Strauss is also one of the better openers in world cricket. He did go through a lean patch and was out of the team for a while, butu00a0 returned with a bang. He was exceptional on the recent tour to India.
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Chris Gayle, the West Indian captain, is one of a kind. Toppling Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, he has stormed his way back to the number one place in the ICC cricket ratings. The 29-year-old Jamaican often blasts away with big scores without drawing too much attention.
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These are probably the top openers in Test matches today. With batsmen of such high calibre at the top of the order, staying at the peak is not a cakewalk.

Still, Hayden is a cut above the rest. The soft side of one of the most dreaded openers in contemporary cricket was seen on the day he called it quits. And it touched the hearts of a million cricket fans across the world.
Hats off to Hayden for retiring with grace. He will be missed by one and all. For me, he will always be on top of the opening slot.

PARTING SHOT: Matthew Hayden retired from international cricket on Tuesday, bringing an end to an illustrious career that spanned 15 years.