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SYDNEY, Monday (AFP) - Matthew Hayden has been dropped from the Australian one-day cricket team as selectors Monday backed away from the team's criticised player rotation policy.

The squad was reduced to 13 players for its remaining triangular series matches with selectors' chairman Trevor Hohns saying Australia would return to "normal cricket with our normal opening pair" of Adam Gilchrist and Mark Waugh.

Hohns said once the decision had been made to cut the squad from 14 to 13, Hayden -- who was Australia's player of the series in the Tests against South Africa -- was the unlucky player.

"What we want to do now is get back to normal cricket with a normal opening pair," Hohns said Monday.

Australia have won just one out of four games in the triangular series and face a must-win game against South Africa at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Tuesday.

Hohns said Hayden, Australia's dominant Test batsman this summer, had been the unlucky player after a decision had been made to tighten the squad.

"Matthew Hayden had a couple of opportunities but didn't quite take them and has been cut from the squad."

Australia has used four different opening combinations in those four matches, each pair making a poor start.

Only earlier this month Australian captain Steve Waugh said Hayden was playing cricket as well as anyone who's gone before him, with the exception of Don Bradman.

The big Queensland left-handed opener was the unanimous choice as player of the series after hundreds in each of Australia's three massive Test wins over the South Africans in the series clean sweep.

Hayden was the highest-scoring batsman in Test cricket last year with 1,391 runs and has scored 726 runs this season, the most by an Australian since Greg Chappell's 702 in the 1975-76 season.

Hohns admitted the rotation system had caused some vexation for the public and media.

"There's no doubt about that and we want to cut the confusion," he said.

"We wanted to give a couple of fellows some opportunities - it may not have worked all that well and now we want to get back to winning - but there's no guarantee we'll do that."

There would still be room to rotate some of the fast bowlers, who occasionally need a rest, Hohns said.

But for the rest of the limited-overs series Australia would pick their best batting line-up.

Waugh has been a staunch advocate of the rotation system but Hohns said he was happy with the change in direction, as was coach John Buchanan.

"I've spoken to Stephen and to the coach and they're totally happy with it," said Hohns.

"Australia can't be expected to win every game. Every time Australia loses, commentators, the media and the public give somebody a smack.

"It's just not possible to win every game. We had the rotation policy last year and it was a huge success, this year it's not been quite so successful.

"There's no need for an explanation -- we've just had a rethink."

Australia - Stephen Waugh (captain), Adam Gilchrist, Michael Bevan, Andrew Bichel, Jason Gillespie, Ian Harvey, Brett Lee, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath, Ricky Ponting, Andrew Symonds, Shane Warne, Mark Waugh. 

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