Bowlers the world over who have suffered at the hands of Matthew Hayden will heave a sigh of relief with the Australian opener announcing to call it quits before the 2011 World Cup in the Indian sub-continent.
Aware that he would have to pave way for the next generation Australians to play for the country just as Mark Waugh had done to make room for him, 36-year-old Hayden has earmarked a "transitional period" after which he will step down from one-day cricket.
"I appreciated what Mark Waugh enabled me to do prior to my first World Cup (in 2003) and that was I had about 50 games under my belt to get well settled and well prepared for the World Cup," Hayden said.
"I've got no intention to go on to the next World Cup (in 2011). There will be a transition period between now and that World Cup. From there I'd like to think I can step aside in a manner which is very unselfish to the preparation of the team moving forward to the next World Cup," he was quoted as saying by the 'Herald Sun'.
Plagued by tendon injuries over the past 12 months, there have been growing calls for the broad-shouldered opener to step down from one-day cricket and concentrate on Tests but Hayden insisted he wasn't ready to give up the limited-overs game so soon.
Hayden said his tendon problems had caused him great frustration but it had been like that for almost a decade.
"It is a tendon that has just been worked. It's a deteriorating injury. It doesn't mean it gets any worse. I've had it in my knees for nine years. Some days they are sore but you play. Other days they hurt badly," said Hayden, who had to miss the Caribbean tour recently due to the injury.
