Matthew Hayden was, for years, a swashbuckling force on the cricket field.
During one tour of India – as Brad Haddin recalled on Willow Talk – he was equally dominant in the hotel kitchen.
WHEN HAYDOS RAN NUTS IN THE KITCHEN:
With the Australian cricket team about to tour India, Adam Peacock asked Haddin who embraced the Indian cuisine best of all.
Of course, there’s the nasty end of the equation, such as Matthew Renshaw, who copped the full brunt of Delhi belly while batting when he went there in 2017.
But in terms of who actually relished it? Haddin could not have answered the question any quicker.
“Matthew Hayden,” he said.
The big Queenslander already loved India enough – he plundered over a thousand Test runs in the country alongside two Test centuries.
But he was equally a force of nature with the pots and pans in front of him.
“He was great to tour with, because he’d get there straight away. He’d beeline for the kitchen,” Hadds laughed.
“If Matthew Hayden walks into a hotel kitchen, all of a sudden there’s fanfare everywhere. But what he would do – he would go to training (then) he’d go spend hours and hours doing up Indian dishes, cooking with the locals.
“Then he’d create an unbelievable banquet for everyone.”
Adam was stunned.
“What, in the hotel kitchen? He’d put the chef hat on and just walk in?!”
“Mate! He could seriously cook!”
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