Hayden signs agreement with CSK for cricket academy

Chennai: Retired Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden on Saturday entered into an agreement with his Indian Premier League franchise Chennai Super Kings to set up a cricket academy here by the end of this year. All the necessary paper work for starting the academy in the city were completed at a meeting between CSK owner N Srinivasan and Hayden this morning.

Later, Hayden inspected the facilities at the existing India Cements Academy here and watched the ongoing second day''s play between Vijay Cricket Club (one of the many India Cements team in the TNCA First Division league) and Parry team, as part of his talent hunting role for the proposed academy. "The meeting was successful and we have to now locate the land for setting up the academy.

Hayden will be part of the academy with former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming and Indian captain Rahul Dravid among others," said Kasi Viswanathan of the CSK Managing Committee. "For the next step, we are waiting for our Marketing Chief Rakesh Singh to arrive to firm up the other arrangements.

The academy will be functional before end of the year and all other aspects of the academy have to be structured and we are now to decide on them. we have already started work on the project".

Hayden, who is leaving Chennai for England tomorrow will be back in mid September after watching the Ashes series between Australia and England.