Rachael Louise Haynes (born 26 December 1986) is an Australian former international cricketer who has won six world championships as a member of the national women's team.

[citation needed] In her earliest backyard cricket memories, Haynes recalls using a bat carved from a fence paling while playing with her cousins and "always" watching matches on television, which led her to idolising Shane Warne before being inspired by Belinda Clark and Cathryn Fitzpatrick.

[1] Accepting an invitation from a next-door neighbour, Haynes joined North Balwyn Cricket Club at age eleven in her first formal experience with the sport.

[12] She then followed up as the league's second-highest run-scorer in 2010–11 (making 284 at 56.80)[13] and top-scored for her team in the final with 68 off 76 balls, though Victoria suffered defeat in the championship decider at the hands of New South Wales for a third-consecutive season.

[21] In the final against the Sydney Sixers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 24 January 2016, she top-scored with 37 runs to help the Thunder secure a three-wicket victory and claim the league's maiden title.

[25] Her team ended the regular season in second place, but they were knocked out of the tournament by the Brisbane Heat in an "incredible"[26] semi-final at Drummoyne Oval on 19 January 2019 which was noted for its close finish.

Scoring 21 not out in the championship decider at North Sydney Oval, Haynes was the only member of the Thunder playing XI to have also featured in the team's inaugural final triumph.

[34] The following day, she bowled four overs without conceding a run and claimed her maiden Test wicket by dismissing Nicky Shaw as Australia took a 41-run first innings lead.

She batted at number 6 and was unbeaten on 14 but was left watching from the non-striker's end while Alyssa Healy was out caught-behind on the last ball of the match, resulting in a two-run loss for Australia.

[45] Her most significant performance of the tournament came in the semi-final against the West Indies, when she played a late-innings cameo of 15 from 12 balls in a low-scoring encounter which Australia won by 28 runs.

[48] Haynes earned Player of the Match honours in the following fixture, scoring 83 off 108 balls against South Africa as Australia chased down a target of 189 with three wickets in hand.

[52] Haynes experienced a drop-off in form during the 2013 Women's Ashes, scoring ten and 23 in a drawn Test at Sir Paul Getty's Ground before making back-to-back ducks in the first two matches of the tour's ODI leg.

[60] Despite the match resulting in a five-wicket loss to Australia, and although Haynes would encounter fitness issues of her own days later, selectors deemed she had done enough to earn a national team contract for the 2017–18 season.

With Meg Lanning being carefully managed due to an ongoing shoulder injury, Haynes' stepped into the line-up and also assumed the role of national team captain for the first time.

[64] Haynes played one more match in the tournament, serving as captain again, making a duck with the bat but picking up two key top-order wickets with the ball in a 59-run defeat of South Africa.

[70] Upon the return of Meg Lanning and the retirement of Alex Blackwell, the National Selection Panel named Haynes as Australia's new vice-captain ahead of a tour to India in March 2018.

[81] In the tournament final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia defeated India by 85 runs, making it Haynes' fourth successful T20 world championship campaign.

[82] Having been forced to undertake an untimely drug test, she was infamously absent for a portion of the post-match celebrations which featured the team dancing on stage with Katy Perry.

[89] In the third ODI and final match of England's tour, played at the Junction Oval, Haynes contributed 31 from 46 balls to help set up a successful chase of a modest 164-run target, ensuring Australia would go through the entire series undefeated.

After a guiding hand of 19 runs in a five-wicket semi-final win over New Zealand,[94] she contributed a quickfire 18 not out from ten balls in a nine-run victory against India,[95] helping to secure the gold medal for Australia in what would be the last appearance for her country.

[96] In tribute, national teammate Jess Jonassen called her "the glue that often held it all together",[97] while ACA chief executive Todd Greenberg stated "Rachael has that great capacity in an athlete to want to make those around them better.

[104] In April 2017, New South Wales Blues player Steve O'Keefe was fined $20,000 for reportedly making "highly inappropriate" alcohol-fuelled comments to Haynes and her partner at Cricket NSW's end-of-season awards function.

[107] While attempting to break up a fight between her cat and a stray, Haynes was inadvertently bitten on the foot in an "unfortunate feline mishap" which led to an infection, sidelining her for a match during the 2019–20 WBBL season.