Matthew Hayden is ready with his bludgeon

Matthew Hayden decided he needed some more batting practice on Monday and had everyone running for cover.

Matthew Hayden decided he needed some more batting practice on Monday and had everyone running for cover. For an hour after his teammates had finished their work, the burly Queenslander was fed deliveries in the tiny nets at the Beausejour Stadium, where Australia play South Africa in the World Cup semi-final on Wednesday.

The nets couldn’t contain Hayden’s mighty blows and balls flew, once every 30 seconds, out of the nets, over grandstands and onto the outfield, where groundstaff were preparing the wicket and dozens of others were in danger of becoming victims of Hayden’s big hitting.

Hayden is streets ahead in the World Cup batting statistics. The bad news for South Africa is that Australia captain Ricky Ponting is in second place in the batting table. At age 35, Hayden is one of the fittest and strongest cricketers. He regularly trains longer and harder than anyone else in his side and spends long hours in the gym. He said a recent talk from Olympic rower Steve Redgrave, in which the five-time gold medallist discussed how to stay on top of your game despite advancing years, was a revelation.

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Scheduled to speak to the press after the Australian net session on Monday, Hayden chose to make his point with the bat rather than words, keeping journalists waiting for an hour yards from his net session. Photographers scattered and support staff were positioned around the ground as the bowling machine ran out of ammunition for Hayden.

Hard to believe that a year ago, Hayden’s one-day batting career was over. He was recalled in October, however, and has been among the runs ever since with his bludgeoning style. Hayden says he sometimes sees fear in bowlers’ eyes. He says South African bowlers had that look in their eyes when he battered a century from 66 balls off them in a group stage match, when Australia amassed 377.

Batting with the equally destructive Adam Gilchrist, Hayden says the openers’ role is to build a platform for the team. “My role is to make sure we get off to a good start, it’s as simple as that,” he said.

Hayden said he had given no thought to winning the Player of the Tournament award. “Frankly I couldn’t care less about Player of the Tournament,” he said. “It’s just great to be part of a side that’s playing so confidently.”

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Hayden, the designated gourmet chef of the Australian side for his barbecuing ability, said there was plenty of good-hearted rivalry in the same luxury St Lucia hotel where the two teams are staying.

He said he had plenty of respect for South Africa and had learned a lot in the mid 90s when he toured the country as a young Test player.