Acupuncture for Hayden
By Ben Dorries
January 11, 2008 12:00am
MATTHEW Hayden has turned to acupuncture to try to save his immediate Test future but concedes he could be out for a month with a mysterious hamstring injury that has left him perplexed.
The opener says he is "hopeful'' of taking on India in next week's Perth Test but knows he is far from certain of passing a searching strength test on the weekend which will determine whether he can play.
Hayden admits he is in the dark about the seriousness of his hamstring tendon injury and agrees with the assessment of medical staff who say he could be out for between one and five weeks.
"That is fair to say, it is really too hard to tell at the moment,'' Hayden said. "I've been basically resting this week and I don't know there's anything more I can do. I just have to let it heal.
"I am going to fly over to Perth and I've got until the weekend to have some more treatment. I am hopeful (of playing). I am not too sure.''
Hayden has been named in Australia's unchanged squad for the Perth Test but it is understood selectors considered putting prolific WA opener Chris Rogers on standby.
Rogers will be shoehorned into the side should Hayden be unfit but selectors want to give the injured Queenslander every chance to play.
Hayden has this week had several sessions of acupuncture, the traditional Chinese treatment technique, to try to speed up his recovery.
"The acupuncture helps him relax and decreases muscle spasm around the injury,'' Australian physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said. "It is a treatment he has responded pretty well to in the past.''
Hayden will fly to Perth with the rest of his teammates tomorrow where he will be put through his paces by Kountouris.
His fitness test will involve several strength tests which will show whether the injury has improved. If it hasn't, Hayden is likely to be ruled out immediately and Rogers drafted in.
"It will be a strength test where he will use his legs to push against me, in a couple of different ways at a couple of different angles,'' Kountouris said.
"I will be looking to see the improvement he has made, if any. If he hasn't made any improvement it really decreases his chances of playing.''
Should Hayden be ruled out, Rogers will come into the side as he was a frontline contender to take Justin Langer's opening position until a bout of appendicitis left Phil Jaques as the unchallenged candidate.
The claims of discarded Test batsman Katich are also strong, as he has smacked 1279 first-class runs at 109 this season, but it is understood Rogers remains well ahead in the pecking order.
Firebrand quick Shaun Tait and out-of-sorts spinner Brad Hogg were both named in Australia's 12-man squad yesterday but Tait is poised to get the nod.
Australia has taken a horses for courses policy to selection and Tait's claims are undeniable on a fearsomely fast Perth pitch which has returned to its glory days.
Australian squad: Matthew Hayden, Phil Jaques, Ricky Ponting (c), Mike Hussey, Michael Clarke, Andrew Symonds, Adam Gilchrist (vc), Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Tait, Stuart Clark, Brad Hogg
Original Article
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23033701-5001023,00.html