Brisbane Heat foundation players Matthew Hayden and Daniel Vettori have had their sterling careers commemorated with selection in the 2025 International Cricket Council's Hall of Fame today.
HEAT PIONEERS INTO HALL OF FAME
Hayden and Vettori were centre stage for the Brisbane Heat in the opening season of the KFC Big Bash League, with Hayden playing his final matches in Australia that season off the back of his outstanding 16-year international career that saw him rack up nearly 15,000 runs across all formats, including 30 Test centuries and a record-breaking 380 against Zimbabwe in 2003.
Hayden's remarkable transformation from fringe player to frontline selection is revealed in gripping detail on cricket.com.au
The Queensland opener was a key figure in Australia's golden era, forming formidable partnerships with Justin Langer and Adam Gilchrist. He was also instrumental in Australia's 2003 and 2007 Cricket World Cup victories.
A prolific scorer for the Bulls, he is a member of the Queensland 'Hundred Club', having played more than 100 first class matches for his State.
His decision to play his final season of cricket in Australia came when the BBL was created. Hayden played all seven games for the Heat in the inaugual season, with a top score of 76, as Brisbane finished fifth.
Vettori, who played for Queensland in the original Big Bash, was one of the Heat's first international recuits alongside fellow New Zealand great Brendon McCullum in 2011-12 and went onto to play three seasons of BBL for Brisbane.
He was also head coach of the Heat for four years between 2015 and 2019.
Vettori is currently in the UK where he is an assistant coach for the Australian team that will take on South Africa tomorrow in the World Test Cricket Championship at Lords.
The ICC Hall of Fame class of 2025 also includes Hayden's long-time IPL teammate MS Dhoni, South African greats Hashim Amla and Graeme Smith, leading English wicket-keeper Sarah Taylor and Pakistan women's captain Sana Mir.