As a young girl, former international cricketer Rachael Haynes had no idea Australia even had a women’s cricket team.
“I remember my uncle telling me about then when we were playing in the backyard, and from that moment I knew it was something I wanted to do,” Rachael tells Woman’s Day.
“I spent a lot of time trying to find out who these women were and when and where they were playing.”
The 38-year-old Australian Woman’s vice captain from 2017 to 2022 says her love of the sport began in the backyard of her childhood home in Carlton, Victoria.
“My first memories of cricket are linked to family and bringing people together, especially around special occasions like Christmas and birthdays. It was a big part of my childhood,” the left-hand batter shares.
“Everyone was involved and there was plenty of banter, laughter, competitive spirit, and many broken windows!”
PERFECTING SKILLS

The career of Belinda Clark, who captained the Australian women’s team from 1994 to 2005, also started in the backyard of her family home in Newcastle, NSW.
“My first memory of cricket was watching my seven-year-old brother have a hit in the nets with dad and the family story goes that I tugged on his shorts at the end of the session asking for a go,” Belinda, 54, tells Woman’s Day.
“After years of perfecting my skills in my imagination and in the backyard, I had my first real game at high school when I discovered the school had a girls team.”
Widely regarded as one of the greatest female players ever, with 919 Test runs and 4844 One Day International (ODI) runs under her belt, Belinda retired from cricket in 2005.
She became the first woman to be inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in 2011m the second to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame, and was immortalised with a bronze statue at the SCG in January 2023.
“I’ve now come full circle and mainly play in the backyard, on the beach, in the park with family and friends,” says Belinda.
Now living in Melbourne with her partner Sally, Belinda spends most of her time off the pitch advocating for more girls to get involved in the game.
“The major difference now to when I was growing up is that there are a large variety of amazing female athletes that grace our TV screens,” she says.
“The game has shifted enormously over the last 10 years. There are so many more opportunities, whether that be locally or at the domestic or international level.”

The cricketers are championing UNICEF Australia and Cricket Australia, who have teamed up to support the rights of girls around the world to play sports, and access basic rights like education, health, nutrition and safety.
“I think the key is to provide options for young girls to play so that if they want to and have the skill, there will be pathways for them,” says Belinda.
“It all starts at the beginning – finding joy and love for the game at an early age is the key to becoming good.”
Rachael, who retired in 2022 with 383 Test runs and 2571 ODI runs over her career, is now the general manager of the Sydney Sixers, and wants to see more young girls involved with cricket, here and overseas.
“I grew up loving most sports but became obsessed with cricket from a young age,” she says. “But globally, there are still cultural barriers for young girls and women to overcome in playing the game.”
“The more we can show it’s a viable career, hopefully that continues to inspire more to play the game.”

To find out more and support the campaign visit unicef.org.au/donate/cricket