Top 5 late bloomers in Test cricket 

#3 Matthew Hayden

Matthew Hayden

Matthew Hayden made his Test debut way back in 1993 but played only 7 Test matches in the 20th century (before 2000). In that period, Hayden scored just 145 runs at an average of 12.08 and was severely criticized for his technique.

However, the big Queenslander made a successful return to Test cricket in 2000 when he scored 267 runs in 8 innings. In 2001, he stamped his authority and showed the world what he was capable of. In the 2001 India tour, he amassed 549 runs in 3 Tests (hitting 2 fifties and 2 hundreds) at a staggering average of 109.80.

He continued to perform exceedingly well as he formed a superb opening partnership with Justin Langer in Test cricket. Between 2001 and 2005, he scored over 1000 Test runs in every year.

Hayden called time on his Test career after the 2008/09 Australian summer. He played 103 Test matches and scored 8625 runs at an average of 50.73. He also hit 30 Test hundreds in total having cemented his spot in the Test team only at the age of 29-30.