Australia's Rachael Haynes announces retirement from international cricket

Australian vice-captain and two-time ODI World Champion Rachael Haynes has announced retirement from international and domestic cricket after a glittering career. One of the first members of the golden generation to pull the plug on her career, Haynes will feature in this summer’s WBBL with the Sydney Thunder before halting her playing days entirely.

Regarded as one of the best top-order batters in the world, Haynes played in several positions in the team before solidifying her role at the top of the order. The southpaw made her limited-overs debut in 2009 against rivals England in an ODI at Lord's and went on to score 3818 international runs, with a couple of centuries to her name. Haynes' illustrious career was split into two after she was dropped from the national team in 2013 and had to wait until 2017 to be recalled, taking over the leadership role in that year's World Cup.

With Australian skipper Meg Lanning on an indefinite break from cricket, Haynes' retirement is a big blow for the Australian team as they will have to look elsewhere for a potential leader in the team. The top-order batter was deputizing for Lanning for the past five years and was a pivotal part of the gold medal-winning team at the Commonwealth Games earlier this year.

"I'm so grateful to those who helped me along the way. In particular, I want to thank my parents Ian and Jenni, and partner Leah for their unwavering support. To all the teammates across my career, you are the reason I've played as long as I have. You've inspired me to be better every day. I've learnt something from all of you, on and off the field. You've challenged me as a player, helped me grow as a person and most importantly, made cricket fun," Haynes spoke about her decision in an official statement.

Cricket Australia's Chief Executive Officer Nick Hockley expressed his gratitude on behalf of the board and thanked Rachael Haynes for her unwavering service to the national team. He lauded her as one of the key figures in the Australian setup which helped establish the cricket team as one of the most successful sporting outfits in the world. He also labeled her as an inspirational figure for kids and for upcoming professional cricketers.

"On behalf of everyone at Cricket Australia I'd like to congratulate Rachael on an amazing career and also recognise the outstanding contribution she has made off the field. Rachael's calm and assured leadership has played a key role in Australia becoming one of the most successful sporting teams in history. She will go down as a great of the game. We look forward to watching Rachael in the WBBL this season and hope she maintains a close connection to the game in coming years," Nick Hockley said in a statement.