New innings at home

From the cricket field to the kitchen and his farm, Matthew Hayden has made a happy transition

Retirement plans of cricketers include a range of options, from commentating (for a lucky few) to being judges on reality shows no one watches. Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden has done one better and got a show about himself and his family on TLC. But Matthew Hayden’s Home Ground, which premiered in Australia last year and is currently on air here, is far removed from star reality shows like Hogan Knows Best, focusing not on dysfunctional family life but its wholesomeness, Hayden’s love for the outdoors, the family’s attempts to grow their own food by creating a huge garden and, of course, his culinary skills.

 

“I actually supply fresh fruit and veggies to my family and teach my kids that food comes from a certain plant or a certain animal or a certain tree. It’s the simple things in life that I really enjoy and these are the concepts I explore during the show,” says Hayden. While he had a reputation for being a bit of a bully on field, off it he is known as a family man and a cook (he’s published two cookbooks and would cook for his teammates while touring during his cricketing days) and it is this “gentle giant” side of him that the six-part series brings out. “I chose to do Home Ground on TLC because I’ve had a life where I’ve been on the road for 11 months of the year for 20 years,” says Hayden who mentions in the course of the show that after their marriage, he and wife Kellie have spent only a couple of Christmases at home, so much so that daughter Grace had come to associate Santa with Melbourne where the Boxing Day matches were played!

The first episode of the show, which aired last Monday, thus has the Haydens planning their permaculture (permanent agriculture) garden behind their home in Queensland, Hayden with his parents on the farm that has been in the family for generations and, perhaps in a nod to his audience in the subcontinent, cooking “Sri Lankan dhal” and tandoori chicken and lamb for the workers who’ve come to help lay out the giant garden. He says his wife’s favourite cuisine is Indian and a chicken curry is part of upcoming episodes, adding, “I have ginger and turmeric, curry leaves, kaffir lime leaves. So, I can really do a nice dish straight from my backyard.”

Hayden has a relaxed demeanour on screen, to go with the meandering, sunshiny feel of the show and seems to be living his retirement dream. The best parts involve cooking, whether it’s Hayden helping his mother with her chocolate pudding or getting his landscape designer to give him a hand at the tandoor, and his three children. But while it is interesting enough to watch the powerful Australian batsman at home on his quest for sustainable living and learn tidbits about him, the show falls short of compelling viewing. Perhaps Hayden could consider inviting Harbhajan Singh to break bread on the family homestead. He diplomatically skirted the question, preferring to say, interestingly, “We’re two great nations and we’re very competitive and there are going to be moments where they’ll flare up as we move forward.”