Thaindian News

Melbourne, July 26 (IANS) Former Australian batsman Matthew Hayden picked up equity in Brisbane Heat Twenty20 franchise, for whom he turns out as a player in the inaugural season of the Big Bash league.

The 39-year-old batting great’s company The Hayden Way became an equity partner in the club and Hayden will sit on the Heat’s board to help guide its commercial future.

The Age reported that as a consequence, he will relinquish his role as a director of Cricket Australia (CA) and board member of Queensland Cricket.

Hayden decided to quit his advisory duties to promote the Big Bash, which he believes if not embraced will affect the growth of the game in the country.

“I love cricket. I love the Baggy Green. I love what it stands for. However, short of the Ashes and potentially the Indian summer from a Test-match point of view, I’m largely un-invested into that particular competition,” Hayden was quoted as saying by the daily.

“I think most definitely people are losing interest within the tournaments. I’ll give you a prime example - the ICC Champion’s Trophy. Australia won that tournament - first time it’s ever been in the cabinet. And yet, did we know about it? We had some idea. But it wasn’t the same impact as what it could make. The World Cup is an important investment within the game, but there are challenges,” he said.

Hayden, who believes the league and the Heat will be a commercial success, said he would not have made a comeback had he felt that Big Bash falls outside the “pathway system”.

“This is a different proposition. This is an entertainment package and it’s going to … compete with all of the other franchise sports, whether that be football or the IPL,” he said.