Hayden's formula - 'Don't be too emotional, just bat'

Matthew Hayden plans to adopt a ruthless approach © Getty Images

Matthew Hayden is looking to improve his poor Ashes record and be ruthless in his approach during the much-anticipated Ashes series. Hayden said that he aimed to cut out all the emotional baggage of playing in the Ashes and just concentrate on scoring as many runs as he could.

"I don't really know why," Hayden told the Associated Press when asked about his dismal run in the 2001 series when he managed just one half-century in five Tests. "I felt different - like I was really fighting for my spot the whole time." However, he made amends in the previous series in 2002-03, when he kickstarted the campaign with a brutal performance in the opening Test at Brisbane, a match most remembered for Nasser Hussain's decision to field first backfiring. Hayden made a hundred in each innings in that game, including a power-packed 197 in the first innings, and managed another fine hundred in the fourth Test at Melbourne as well.

"It was really satisfying to perform against them out here," he said, "so the challenge is to perform against them on their turf as well. I'm not making it emotional, I just want to be ruthless. I'm not going to go in with blinkers on, but certainly with a lot of the emotion out of it, that puts me in a good frame of mind."

The last season, though, has been a lean one for Hayden - his last century was against Sri Lanka in August 2004 - and he was keen to make an impact in the forthcoming tour. "In the end, what makes me score runs is just being as attentive to detail as I possibly can be," he said. "Don't be too emotional, just bat. That's my goal for the tour - simple as that. It's a great challenge for an opening batsman. The ball does seam and swing. It's something that JL and I are really looking forward to."