Matthew Hayden Discusses Australia's Home Advantage

Former Australian batter Matthew Hayden has expressed concerns that Australia’s home advantage in cricket has diminished in recent years. He believes that runs will be hard to come by in the upcoming five-match Test series against India, scheduled from November 2024 to January 2025.

Speaking about the conditions at the five venues—Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney—Hayden noted that three of the pitches (Perth, Adelaide, and Melbourne) are drop-in wickets. He highlighted that the second Test in Adelaide, a day-night match, could be particularly challenging for batters, especially during the twilight period when overhead conditions can make batting difficult. Hayden suggested that the home advantage in Australia has been significantly reduced, as a team can quickly lose momentum in challenging sessions, making it difficult to dominate a game consistently.

Australia has struggled in recent years, losing their last two home series against India and losing control of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for a decade. Their fortress in Brisbane has also been breached twice in three years—first by India in January 2021, and then by a lower-ranked West Indies team in January earlier this year, resulting in a 1-1 series draw. The narrow eight-run loss to West Indies was also Australia’s first defeat in a day-night Test after 11 consecutive wins.

Hayden anticipates the upcoming series against India to be an "unbelievable and historic" contest between the top two Test teams in the world. Unlike his former captain Ricky Ponting, who predicted a 3-1 victory for Australia, Hayden found it difficult to pick a favourite, emphasising that the difference in the series could come down to the runs scored. He stressed that the top players need to step up, as runs will be at a premium. Hayden also remarked that the structure of the series, moving from the west to the east of Australia, adds a unique element to the competition, which usually follows the opposite direction.

Much of the focus will be on experienced players like Virat Kohli and Steven Smith, who are the leading Test run-scorers for their respective teams. Kohli, with an average of 47.48 against Australia and 54.08 in Australia, and Smith, with an impressive average of 65.87 against India, will be key figures in the series. Hayden commented that both players, nearing the latter stages of their careers, will be eager to dominate the series.

Hayden also discussed the challenges that Indian batters will face in Australia due to the steeper bounce and larger ground sizes. When asked about young batter Yashasvi Jaiswal, whom Nathan Lyon recently praised, Hayden acknowledged Jaiswal’s "superb" strokeplay but noted that he would be tested by Australia’s world-class fast bowlers. Hayden is curious to see how Jaiswal adapts to the bouncy tracks in Australia, particularly given his hard-hitting style and preference for pull shots. He added that playing on larger grounds will require precision, as misjudged shots could lead to easy catches.

Hayden concluded by expressing confidence that talented players like Jaiswal will make the necessary adjustments to succeed in challenging conditions.