Australian opener Matthew Hayden has announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect. The southpaw made the announcement earlier on Tuesday at his home town Brisbane."Today I'm announcing my retirement from representative cricket, effective immediately," the 37-year old, Hayden read out from a statement."Now is the time to move on to the next stage of my life. I've lived the dream of every kid who's ever picked up a bat and ball. It is a privilege and an honour that I'll always remember," he said.Hayden said he wanted to concentrate on charity work - both in helping find Australia's next Aboriginal cricketer, and supporting the McGrath Foundation - as well as to pursue his other passions such as cooking, fishing and boating."Importantly for me today I'm retiring from cricket but not from life," he said."This is a decision that I've not taken lightly and I'm here after much thought and consideration and discussion with my family," Hayden said adding "To my team-mates who have shared this exciting part of my life, I want to say thank you for your support and friendship."We have all relished in the opportunity to play in one of the iconic eras of Australian cricket and as brothers of the baggy green, it is our calling to ensure that cricket remains strong," he said.Hayden is, however, He is yet to take a formal decision on his future in the Indian Premier League.He will take a lap of honour in front of his home crowd at the Gabba before Tuesday's Twenty20 match between Australia and South Africa.
Hayden had a difficult summer and managed only 149 runs at 16.55 from five Tests against New Zealand and South Africa. He was later dropped for the T20 games and one-dayers against South Africa. Hayden has scored 8625 runs at an average of 50.73 in Tests and over six thousand runs in 161 ODIs. He he did not play too much of Twenty20 cricket, but his strike rate of 143 is truely phenomenal.
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