Haynes feline good after cat mishap

An unfortunate feline mishap sidelined Rachael Haynes for her team’s loss to Perth Scorchers last Sunday, but the Sydney Thunder skipper is set to make her return for tonight’s return clash at the WACA Ground.

Haynes was ruled out of the match, at Adelaide’s Karen Rolton Oval, due to a foot infection.

The cause of the injury was later revealed to be her cat, Lily, with Haynes inadvertently bitten on the foot while trying to break up a fight between her pet and a stray.

"I had no idea what had happened and then I heard it was her cat, so I was a little bit intrigued," Thunder bowler Hannah Darlington told cricket.com.au.

"It’s just something you’d never expect to happen to Rach, so it is quite funny."

Haynes isn’t the first player to be sidelined after a mishap with a pet; in 2018, D’Arcy Short required stitches after being accidentally bitten while playing with his dog.

Haynes missed a narrow seven-run loss to the Scorchers, after the Thunder failed to chase down a target of 152 despite a spirited 47 not out from Tahlia Wilson on debut.

Her return will bolster a side eager to turn the tables on their western rivals, with the Thunder second on the table at the midway point of the regular season.

"Rach has been given the all clear by the doctor, so she’s flying from Sydney today to join us this afternoon,” Thunder coach Trevor Griffin said.

"She’ll have a hit this afternoon and all going well, she’ll be back in the side to take on the Scorchers tomorrow.

"Rach has been a superb leader for us this season so far and having her back will give us that stability and focus around how we want to play."

While Haynes returns, the Thunder will be without teenage batting prodigy Phoebe Litchfield, who is completing her Year 10 exams.

Meanwhile the Scorchers have made one change to their squad for Tuesday’s match, with local batter Amy Edgar in for Piepa Cleary, who has undergone surgery after fracturing her leg in a fielding mishap.

Play at the WACA will begin at 5.30pm local time (8:30pm AEDT) and can be seen live and free on cricket.com.au, the CA Live app or the WBBL Facebook page, streamed via Kayo, with radio coverage from ABC Grandstand.

Sydney Thunder: Rachael Haynes (c), Samantha Bates, Alex Blackwell, Nida Dar, Hannah Darlington, Rene Farrell, Lisa Griffith, Saskia Horley, Shabnim Ismail, Rachel Priest, Naomi Stalenberg, Rachel Trenaman, Tahlia Wilson

Perth Scorchers: Meg Lanning (c), Jemma Barsby, Samantha Betts, Nicole Bolton, Amy Edgar, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Amy Jones, Emma King, Taneale Peschel, Chloe Piparo, Georgia Redmayne, Natalie Sciver