Prior to using a Mongoose, Hayden used a Gray-Nicolls bat with a fluorescent pink grip, to highlight and support research into a cure for breast cancer.

[14] On 26 January 2010 he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for service to cricket, and to the community through support for a range of health, youth and charitable organisations.

Matthew Hayden played for the Chennai Super Kings in the inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL) in April 2008, contracted for $375,000.

Hayden became one of the foremost players in the league, and in 2009 won the Orange Cap as the season's highest run-scorer, with 572 runs.

[17] In 2011–12, Hayden resigned from his positions on the Queensland and Australian cricket boards to take part for the Brisbane Heat in Australia's Big Bash League.

Stuart Law said that he would think 'twice' before using the Mongoose, while MS Dhoni said in his column that he believed in Hayden's ability 'no matter what means he uses'.

He was dropped from the team, as the selectors favoured other openers, initially Taylor and Matthew Elliott, then later Slater and Greg Blewett, for the next few years.

At the time, he was compared occasionally to Graeme Hick, a fine domestic performer but not quite good enough to make it at the highest level.

[citation needed] During these years, Hayden was a prolific batsman for the Queensland first-class cricket team.

Weight of domestic cricket runs, and persistence, resulted in a resurrection of his international career for the 1999–2000 tour of New Zealand and the following 2000–01 summer against the West Indies.

Soon after Hayden announced his retirement from all international and first-class cricket prior to the tour of South Africa in 2008–09.

Hayden played in the Australian side that won the 2003 One Day International Cricket World Cup.

On 20 February 2007, Matthew Hayden posted his highest ODI score (181 not out) against New Zealand at Seddon Park in Hamilton.

His record was broken by Irish batsman Kevin O'Brien in the 2011 World Cup when he struck a century off 50 balls against England.

[33][34] Hayden played only one more season of ODI cricket, his last match for Australia being the second final of the 2007–08 Commonwealth Bank Series.

[34] In the 2003 New Year's Test in Sydney against England, Hayden smashed a pavilion window in anger, after disagreeing with an umpire's decision to give him out.

As a fallout of that instance in February 2008, Hayden was charged for a code of conduct violation by Cricket Australia, for calling the Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh an "obnoxious little weed", and for inviting Indian fast bowler Ishant Sharma for a boxing bout, during an interview aired on Brisbane radio station.

[38] He was strongly criticised by the BCCI and former Pakistan team captain Wasim Akram for reportedly calling India a third world country.

[39] Back home after a 2–0 series defeat by India, Hayden spoke about what he perceived to be poor ground conditions and inordinate delays during the matches "that happen in Third World countries".

[41] On 13 January 2009, Hayden held a press conference at the Gabba and officially announced his retirement from representative cricket.

[4][42] The announcement followed a series of relatively poor performances in New Zealand and South Africa's tour of Australia, in which he failed to pass fifteen runs in nine innings.

[43] Paying tribute on his retirement, Hayden was hailed by teammates Ricky Ponting[44] and Justin Langer as being the greatest ever opener from Australia.

[46] Hayden was appointed by the Queensland Government in March 2013[47] to head a tourism campaign aiming to attract more Indian tourists to Australia.