The Sydney Thunder’s hopes of going back-to-back in the WBBL have suffered a blow, with their skipper announcing her withdrawal from the side.
Australian T20 vice-captain and Sydney Thunder skipper Rachael Haynes has declared herself unavailable for the side’s WBBL07 campaign so she can be with her newborn son, with a number of complications outside her control forcing her into a difficult decision.
Haynes and her partner, former Australian cricketer Leah Poulton, welcomed Hugo Poulton-Haynes to the world on October 2; the Thunder skipper had informed club management she would be taking parental leave in the opening rounds of the new season.
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However, as Covid-19 gripped the nation yet again over recent months, states across Australia implemented border restrictions and forced changes to the competition structure of the WBBL.
Those changes, coupled with the fact Haynes would have spent two weeks in hotel quarantine as part of her parental leave period and her recent hamstring injury, left the 34-year-old with a tough choice.
“I understand the schedule needed to be rejigged due to the ongoing border closures,” Haynes said.
“However, the fact it means Sydney Thunder will be on the road for the entire duration of the WBBL – along with the mandatory 14 days in quarantine – left me with no alternative but to make myself unavailable.
“However, as I told the squad, I will be back if there’s changes to the current border restrictions of the tournament structure.”
Haynes, who has been with the Thunder since their inaugural WBBL season in 2015, played a key role in the side’s championship victory last season.
She revealed the news to the squad via a video call, and thanked the entire Thunder organisation for how supportive they were of her decision to withdraw ahead of the team’s opener against Adelaide on Saturday.
“As much as I want to be with the team, leaving Leah and Hugo at this stage for such a long period wouldn’t be fair on us as a family,” Haynes said.
“I’ve spoken to all the players and staff, and they’ve been extremely supportive of my decision.
“It just shows that in matters of the heart, the heart wins.
“However, I am doing my hamstring rehabilitation with the intention that I can put myself forward to play, but it would be much later in the season and contingent on state borders opening up.”
The Thunder will be hoping to win back-to-back WBBL championships, and should they be successful, they’d be the third club in the competition’s short history to achieve the feat alongside the Sydney Sixers and Brisbane Heat.
Thunder coach Trevor Griffin lamented the loss of his captain, but maintained the side still has plenty of quality to remain competitive in the upcoming season.
“I have no doubt that this squad, with the inclusion of our Indian internationals Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma, will be able to go out and continue with the performance and development Rachael has created under her stewardship,” Griffin said.
“As disappointing as this is, I know Rachael will be watching to see who steps up to lead and who seizes their opportunities.
“However, the overwhelming feeling within the squad is this is a special time for Rachael, Leah, and Hugo and all of us at Sydney Thunder couldn’t be happier for them.”
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