Sydney, Nov 19: Australian opener Mathew Hayden who will be playing his 99th Test tomorrow, at the Gabba against New Zealand, has said that the match would likely provide him answers whether he would be around for his fifth Ashes tour next year.

Hayden (37), who had recurring injury dramas and a poor start to the series in India, has critics questioning his future in the Australian top-order.

But, Hayden has no plans to hang up his whites. “It’s not part of my equation just yet. There''s two answers that I need to say to myself before I present myself for Australia. One of them is am I willing to make the sacrifices to be the best athlete I can be, whatever that takes? The second is, is that fire burning within me to play good cricket for Australia?” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted him as saying today.

He added: “At the moment, the man in the mirror is saying have a crack at both of them, I think you''re ready to play.”

But, when asked whether he''ll be around for a remarkable fifth Ashes tour next year, Hayden said: “I think this game is going to tell me that”.

But, he indicated the answer won’t come from runs alone at the Gabba. “Right now, it''s a particularly challenging time in Australian cricket history because we''ve lost a lot of our players and we''re in a position now to take responsibility and move forward with what''s been an inspirational group of players through India.”

His skipper Ricky Ponting values Hayden, Australia's fourth highest run-scorer of all-time, as a “supremely loyal lieutenant” and wants to see him play through the Ashes at the very least.

If runs would be a sole gauge to his future, Hayden has picked a tough Test to put his career on the line, added the paper. (ANI)