JOIN US“The only reason that I’m playing the way I am now is because I have retired. I have been able to let go of the fact that I don’t want to play international cricket,” he told a cricket website.
“I know that I’ve only got a very short time playing cricket in this particular period, so I’ve got all my mind, skills and fitness towards the IPL,” he added.
Form and fitness
Hayden said many of his peers’ form and fitness gets affected by playing continuous cricket.
“This is not the case with most other international players, who know they will leave this tournament and head straight to the Twenty20 World Cup, and then another international series, then the domestic cricket next summer — it is just never-ending cricket,” he said.
In nine matches for the Chennai Super Kings, Hayden has scored 426 runs at an average of 47.33.
“During this tournament I’ve spent more time on the ocean than I have on a cricket field.
“It does give me an edge, because in a tournament which is played over half a day and when you play every other day, there is a lot of time spent on thinking cricket. You need to have a balance in life,” he said.