AUS v SL 2019: Matthew Hayden’s crucial advice for Marcus Harris

Harris needs to straighten his game up, feels Hayden.

Marcus Harris scored 40 in Australia's series-opening Test win over Sri Lanka in Brisbane

Matthew Hayden has come up with crucial advice for Marcus Harris on Tuesday (January 29) to overcome his struggle to convert his starts into big scores, urging the Australian opener to completely avoid the cut shot until after he reaches three figures in his innings to taste success in Test cricket.

Hayden, who is considered as Australia’s most prolific Test opener of his era, believes that Harris needs to straighten his game up and should start playing straighter for long periods of time to avoid his wicket.

The left-hander has been one of Australia’s best finds of the summer, and has played 8 Tests for his country, but failed to convert any of his eight innings into centuries.

In the home Test, Harris was once again caught out for 44 against Sri Lanka in Brisbane last week while trying to hit balls square from well outside off stump for the fourth time this summer.

Hayden told AAP, “I’ve been really impressed with Harris but I think he plays too square of the wicket for an opening batsman. He needs to straighten his game up and play straight and bat for long periods of time. And be disciplined to the point of ‘I’m not going to play a cut shot until I’m on 120 or 130’.”

Meanwhile, Hayden is frustrated with Australia’s inability to score a century this summer, as the maximum batsmen averaged between 20 and 40 in the series against India.

Former Australian batsman noted, “It’s a mindset thing. I used to find that in the 30s or 60s I was always vulnerable because at 30 you’re just starting to break through as an opening batsman, you’ve done all the hard work and you’re starting to feel the ball. And then at 60 you’re starting to get the touch, so you start to explore what that looks like.”

Hayden signed off by saying, “But to get big runs you have to go ‘okay well I know I’m vulnerable here now, I’m going to work my way be it a time goal or partnership goal, I’m going to work my way through a stage of the game’.”

(With AAP Inputs)

 
 

By Rashmi Nanda - 29 Jan, 2019

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