Photo Credit: Sydney Thunder
No changes to Thunder squad to take on the Renegades and Hurricanes
Sydney Thunder captain Rachael Haynes will take to the field for her 75th Rebel Women’s Big Bash League match for the club tomorrow with coach Trevor Griffin’s praise ringing in her ears.
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Thunder play the Melbourne Renegades at Hurstville Oval from 2:30pm on Saturday, and Haynes will undoubtedly be determined to continue with her superb start to the summer.
After four innings, the Australian national team’s vice-captain is averaging 105, and boasting a formidable strike rate of 119.31.
Griffin, who is in his second year as coach of Thunder, believed the milestone said a lot about Haynes’ standing in cricket.
“You only need to look at the footage that’s online about Rachael Haynes, to see how popular she is throughout Australian cricket, around the world, really,” he said.
“She’s a genuine leader within the game. There’s probably not many players that she doesn’t know about; her tactical awareness is outstanding, and her thoroughness in the way she prepares both physically and mentally sets her apart.
“When you take all of that into consideration you can see she sets herself up to go out and perform.”
Haynes said her only priority for the weekend was for her teammates to maintain the momentum and focus that’s helped propel Thunder to win each match they’ve played.
“It’s been an odd start to the tournament with the two washouts to begin with, but everyone has stayed patient,” she said.
“I know from training with the NSW players during the preseason they prepared so well, and were ready for some cricket.
“It’s been really nice to see them bring to life out in the middle the things they’ve been working on. Hopefully, we can continue with it.”
Haynes said despite her team’s strong start to the summer, they were expecting tough showings from the Renegades and Sunday’s opponents, the Hurricanes (9:30am start).
“They’re two very dangerous sides,” she said. “Both of those teams have players who can take the game away from you very quickly.
“We’ve spoken about how we want to bowl to them, and how we’ll approach their bowling as batters. We’re ready for tough contests – particularly at Hurstville Oval where the boundaries are quite small.”
Thunder fans can watch this weekend’s matches live on Kayo and cricket.com.au. Please be aware that all matches at Hurstville Oval are closed to spectators.
Sydney Thunder Squad vs Melbourne Renegades (07/11) and Hobart Hurricanes (08/11)
Rachael Haynes (C) (15)
Samantha Arnold (3)
Sam Bates (34)
Tammy Beaumont (91)
Hannah Darlington (25)
Saskia Horley (23)
Shabnim Ismail (89)
Sammy-Jo Johnson (58)
Heather Knight (5)
Anika Learoyd (4)
Phoebe Litchfield (36)
Kate Peterson (33)
Lauren Smith (2)
Rachel Trenaman (8)
Tahlia Wilson (21)
Sydney Thunder WBBL|06 Tickets
Wednesday 11 November | Vs Brisbane Heat | Blacktown International Sportspark | 7:05PM
Saturday 14 November | Vs Melbourne Stars | Sydney Showground Stadium | 7:05PM
Sunday 15 November | Vs Perth Scorchers | Sydney Showground Stadium | 10:20AM
Wednesday 18 November | Vs Sydney Sixers | Sydney Showground Stadium | 7:05PM
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Name of Author: Sydney Thunder
The Sydney Thunder is an Australian professional cricket team competing in the Big Bash League (BBL). Based at Sydney Showground Stadium, the Thunder, along with the Sydney Sixers, succeeded the New South Wales Blues from the defunct KFC Twenty20 Big Bash.
