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Hayden boosts Australia for opener

Australia batsman Matthew Hayden is set to be in contention for their opening World Cup game against Scotland following a broken toe.

The 35-year-old opening batsman has been out of action since breaking his big toe in his right foot during Australia's match against New Zealand on February 20.

It was feared that he might miss some of his country's early World Cup games.

However, captain Ricky Ponting says Hayden is making great progress and could be in contention for their opening group A fixture against Scotland on Wednesday.

Ponting said: "He batted for half an hour-and-a-half. He's done a lot of running as well.

"He seems to be coming along pretty well. I think right at the moment he would certainly be on track to play against Scotland."

Hayden's playing chances for the opening match could greatly affect his chances of being the tournament's top runscorer and will also help his chances of repaying his backers in Betfair's Batsman Head to Heads markets, where he is up against South African captain Graeme Smith.

The burly Queenslander is available at 27 to accumulate the most runs of any player in the tournament in the Top Runscorer market, headed by Ponting (9.6) and featuring fellow one-day opener Adam Gilchrist (17).

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