Highlights
- After the 2013 Ashes series, Haynes was out of action for around three-and-a-half years
- Rachel Haynes is only the second player after Belinda Clark to have captained both NSW and Victoria
- She made her international comeback in February 2017
Rachael Haynes retires: Sending shockwaves to the entire cricketing fraternity, Australian vice-captain Rachael Haynes has announced her retirement from international & state cricket. She still has her stint left with Sydney Thunder in the Women's Big Bash League and will bow out from all forms of cricket post that.
Left-handed top-order batsman Haynes debuted for Australia in an ODI against arch-rivals England at Lord's in the year 2009. She embraced the international arena and went on and scored a stellar 98 on her Test debut at Worcester. Haynes has a total of 3818 international runs with 2585 of them being scored in the ODI format. The former Australia vice-captain also has 2 ODI centuries to her name.
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Haynes, in her illustrious career, gained some valuable experience in the art of captaincy too. She captained the Aussies on 14 occasions in the absence of regular skipper Meg Lanning. The Australian cricketer also has the honor of captaining her side in the 2017-18 Ashes as Lanning was ruled out with a shoulder injury.
A floater in the initial phases of her career, Haynes ends her career on a high. The former Australia vice-captain used to open for Australia both in Tests and ODIs and the second half of her career. At the 2022 World Cup, she was the second-highest run-scorer behind her compatriot Alyssa Healy.
"One of the great things about having a long career is watching those around you develop," Haynes said. "I'm extremely proud of the way this team has brought players in and nurtured their development. The ability to help players transition smoothly has been instrumental to our team's success. To be a leader within this environment has been the greatest privilege of my career", said Haynes who has been an asset to the Australian women's cricket outfit.
Rachael's career can certainly be divided into two parts. The former Australian vice-captain who was dropped in 2013 made her return to the Australian outfit in 2017. Haynes, after her return, averaged 45.07 in ODIs and 33.00 in T20Is with a strike rate of 126.15. The left-handed batsman proudly bows out of international cricket after Australia's gold-medal victory against India at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
