This month, we’re looking back on the careers of several black cricketers who made an enormous impact during their time at Middlesex. We continue our series today by shining the spotlight on Desmond Haynes…
Desmond Leo Haynes was born in Barbados on 15th February 1956.
Haynes signed prior to the 1989 season, having established himself in the West Indies team and spent six summers at the Club.
He made his debut for the Club in May 1989 against Surrey in the Benson & Hedges Cup before appearing in the County Championship for the first time four days later.
The summer of 1990 was an unbelievable one for the Bajan opener as he scored a staggering 2,346 runs in first-class cricket at an average of 69.00 – striking eight centuries and a further seven half-centuries along the way…
His highest first-class score came during that summer as he struck an unbeaten 255 in a County Championship clash against Sussex at Lord’s.
Having made three ducks in his previous three innings, Haynes was looking to make a contribution in the game and that he did! In Middlesex’s first innings, he scored a century before lunch whilst wickets were falling at the other end.
By the end of the first day, Middlesex were 385/6 and Haynes had scored almost 60% of the team’s runs by reaching stumps on 222.
The following day Middlesex declared on 449/8, with Haynes sitting on his career-best score of 255 not out.
Sussex held on to draw the game, but Middlesex managed to maintain their unbeaten run before going on to win the championship – their first trophy since 1985 – with Haynes scoring over 500 runs more than any of his teammates.
Over the course of the six seasons that Haynes spent at Middlesex, Haynes amassed 7,071 runs in 95 first-class matches at an average of 49.10 and a further 4,105 runs in List-A cricket at an average of 48.86.
Haynes was undoubtedly one of the finest overseas players that the Club has ever seen and Middlesex owes him a huge amount of gratitude.
