Rachael Haynes barely got a look in the last time a 50-over Women’s World Cup was played, in 2017: she was selected for two of the matches – both times only because Meg Lanning was sitting out with a shoulder injury. One match into Australia’s 2022 campaign and how the tables have turned.
On Saturday, Haynes led the charge, hitting her maiden World Cup century as she took Australia to a 12-run victory in their opening encounter of the tournament against England. Lanning, meanwhile, joined her for a record-breaking second-wicket stand of 196 (the highest partnership against England in an ODI) but was generally content to play second fiddle, falling 14 runs short of a century of her own.
