Rachael Haynes backs India to do well at the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup, predicts Australian, England and South Africa to make the semifinals

Rachael Haynes belongs to an extraordinary league of women that made the Australian cricket team the greatest in history. She was the first player to retire from that golden generation. The 38-year-old is a winner of two ODI and four T20I World Cups.

After making 98 on her Test debut at No. 7 against England at Worcester in 2009, the left-hander moved up the order. She served the Australian top-order with distinction for the best part of a decade. She was also a brilliant fielder who came up with some stunning catches. She captained Australia during the team’s successful defence of the Ashes in 2017.

Excerpts from an exclusive interview Haynes gave The Hindu at New Delhi:

You have been to India on several occasions, as player, coach and television commentator. Women’s cricket has changed a lot in India, hasn’t it?

Yeah. I was here for the WPL. I got to be part of that first season [2023] and that was a really exciting tournament to be part of. It has been a couple of years, and it is nice to be back, though in the commentary box, in a bit of a different role. I think the India-Australia series has been a really interesting one to follow because both of these sides are obviously tuning up for the World Cup. It has been interesting to see them find the right combinations and also, I suppose, build that rivalry that we know India and Australia have.

And India is probably the second best team in the world.

I think they are a team with momentum at the moment and that’s really important heading into a big tournament.

How do you look back at the experience in the WPL? You were part of the inaugural WBBL back in Australia as well.

I suppose it was really different to Season One of WBBL that I was part of. The game has come such a long way over that time. And yeah, I suppose there was a lot of noise about India having a version for the women. When they eventually introduced the tournament, I mean, hats off to them. They did a wonderful job in creating a real spectacle, obviously drawing some of the best players in the world to the tournament. And it was done in a little bit of a different style, you know, with the auction format for players.

And for a change, there was really good money in women’s cricket.

That is right. And I am sure the players, you know, before the current players have laid a really nice foundation, I suppose, for this generation to be able to step into and enjoy a bit of financial reward.

You joined Gujarat Giants as the head coach in the first WPL. But you had a big setback when your captain and best player Beth Mooney got injured in the very first match and had to pull out from the tournament.

Beth picked up that calf injury and it is not easy to replace a player like that. To lose both her keeping and her batting, it is effectively two skills in a team, which threw our balance out a little bit. But that is part of elite sport; that happens. And yeah, we just weren’t able to quite get going after that first match. But all in all, it was really great to work with the local players.

And in the WPL’s inaugural match at Navi Mumbai, Harmanpreet Kaur played that blinder to lead Mumbai Indians to a huge victory. She also played one of the finest ODI innings, against Australia in the 2017 World Cup semifinal at Derby.

I wasn’t playing in the match, but I was on the bench that day. And it was just some of the most phenomenal hitting I have ever seen. The ball-striking was amazing. It didn’t matter what Australia tried to do to counteract it, she had an answer. And that innings was no exception. She is a fantastic player. And I have had the opportunity to play alongside her as well at the Sydney Thunder in the WBBL.

But in the next edition in 2022, Australia regained the World Cup, and you made 68 in the final against England at Christchurch and had a big partnership with Alyssa Healy for the first wicket.

It was great. Alyssa was absolutely smoking the ball and playing wonderfully. So I basically just put myself down at the other end. But yes, it is nice to contribute in big tournaments and I suppose to go on and experience that team success together. Because that is ultimately why you play sport: to be part of that win.

How do you look forward to the World Cup starting here in India on September 30? You wouldn’t mind an India-Australia final perhaps?

I would absolutely love to see that. This is a real opportunity for the Indian side. You know, it’s a huge privilege to play in a home World Cup and to have that support around. And we certainly experienced that in the T20 World Cup in Australia back in 2020. That was easily the most rewarding and fun tournament I have ever been part of as a player: we played that final at Melbourne in front of 86,000 people that supported us.

Apart from Australia and India, who do you think could make the semifinals?

I think England will be there. You know, Charlotte Edwards is such a fantastic coach and they will have Heather Knight coming back into their team. And I think South Africa will get through, just.

What makes this Australian side, of which you were a part until three years ago, so good?

I think one thing the squad and the selection and coaching group have done well is make sure they are always giving younger players an opportunity around the environment. They have brought Nicole Faltum and Charli Knott, who are sort of performing well in domestic cricket.

How do you view the changes the women’s game has seen since the time you started out?

I think the game has just continued to evolve, and that has coincided with an increased investment from a lot of different boards around the world. So Australia, England and India are probably really leading the way in that respect. The success of the national side is really underpinned by the strength of your domestic programme, and there is no coincidence from my point of view that the top three teams in the world at the moment are well-funded and have good, strong domestic structures. I suppose in fairness to New Zealand, they are the current T20 World Cup holders. But a lot of their players end up on that sort of domestic circuit around the world.

Published – September 27, 2025 12:50 am IST