Matt the bat

Greetings to all on this first day of the 2003-2004 season!
Australia took control on the first day of the first Test, the first Test ever against Zimbabwe on home soil.
Zimbabwe won the toss and sent Australia in to bat. The WACA wicket was not its usual bouncy self but was a real belter – “a road” as Terry Alderman described it.
Australia finished the day at 3/372 (run rate of 4.13). The day was rather uneventful except for a whirlwind opening with Langer smashing boundaries and a magnificent last session where 167 runs were added. The unmistakable star was Matthew Hayden, who finished undefeated on 183 (from 266 balls). The startling aspect was that his century came from 210 balls – which means his next 83 came from just 56 balls! The skipper is on 61 and is looking good. He has now made his last 322 Test runs without being dismissed. And he has made 211 runs against Zimbabwe without blemish.
There is a statistical point of interest if we look at the first Test of last season (against much more fancied opposition). Australia batted first (also sent in) and at the close of play were 2/364, with Hayden on 186. Now that’s consistency! Hayden added just 11 to his overnight score last season. My tip is that he will add a few more than that tomorrow and notch his second Test double hundred. But then again, that was my tip last year.