Rachael Haynes to be named as captain of Australia women's team for the Ashes

Rachael Haynes will be taking up the captaincy duties of the Australian team in the Commonwealth Bank Women’s Ashes starting from October 22. The Australian skipper Meg Lanning will be unavailable throughout the 2017/18 home season after undergoing a shoulder surgery. Australia’s squad for the Ashes will be announced on Wednesday at the NSW’s Parliament House.

The left-handed batter led Australia in the absence of Lanning in a couple of games during the recently Women’s World Cup held in England earlier this year. Lanning has been suffering trouble with her right shoulder for quite a period and decided to rest against Pakistan and South Africa during the tournament. In August, Lanning underwent surgery to her shoulder which ruled her out from cricketing action for at least six months.

First ever day-night Test in Women’s Cricket

Australia will be playing England at home in three ODIs, a Day-Night Test and three T20Is played across 30 days between October and November. It will be the first ever Day-Night Test match in Women’s Cricket and also the first ever Women’s Test match after the 2015 Test in Ashes affair.

Haynes hasn’t captained Australia so far except the two games in the Women’s World Cup. She will be the 19th captain for Australian Women’s team in Test cricket when they take on the England side at the North Sydney Oval starting from November 9th. The vice-captain of Australian team under Lanning, Alex Blackwell will continue to act as the deputy to Haynes also.

Haynes was out of Australian side in all the formats since 2014 before she was recalled earlier in February as injury cover for Blackwell. She scored fifty in the first game of the ODI series against New Zealand which helped her selection in the World Cup. Even in the WWC, Haynes didn’t play any game except in those she led the side when Lanning took rest. Lanning, on the other hand, missed out in only one T20I prior to the World Cup for Australia in the last four years. She will now miss out a full home series against England.