London, Jan 14 : England must find another way to unsettle Australia in this summer''s Ashes series after opening batsman Matthew Hayden announced his retirement from international cricket to spend more time with his family.

Hayden had been unable to find his best form in his two series in England, and his average of 34.50 (with only two scores over fifty), being his lowest in any country other than New Zealand.

According to The Times, Australia will now enter the first Test at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, on July 8, with a better option alongside Simon Katich, whose recent progress has been inversely proportional to the decline of Hayden.

This means that Australia will never be short of batsmen. Phil Jaques, favoured to replace Hayden if he can recover from back surgery, has scored 902 runs in 11 Tests. He also has experience of English conditions, with a combined championship average of 59.31 over five seasons for Yorkshire, Northamptonshire and Worcestershire, the report said.

Chris Rogers, another contender, averages 53.07 between 2004 and 2008 at Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire, it added. (ANI)