Emerging initially out of Birstall Cricket Club in West Yorkshire, Rhodes' county cricket career began with Yorkshire County Cricket Club in 1981. The incumbent was the international wicket-keeper David Bairstow and after limited chances he moved to Worcestershire County Cricket Club in 1985 staying with that county for the remaining two decades of his playing career.

Towards the end of the 2004 season, Rhodes briefly became county captain following Ben Smith's resignation during the home game with Northamptonshire County Cricket Club.

He was selected for the England tour to India in 1988/89, but when this was cancelled for political reasons he lost his chance, and it was to be 1994 before he made his Test cricket debut.

His selection was primarily down to the new chairman of selectors, Ray Illingworth, who announced at his appointment that he wanted balanced sides i.e. an all-rounder at number 6 with a wicket-keeper at number 7. As such, Illingworth was saying that his chosen wicket-keeper had to contribute with bat and gloves. While Rhodes had a golden summer with the gloves in 1994, he did not make enough runs - especially against the powerful South African bowling attack in the second half of the season.

Chosen to tour Australia in 1994-95, he had a poor tour with gloves and especially with the bat - frequently dismissed by Australian spearhead Craig McDermott, often leg before wicket (LBW). Having waited so long to make his Test debut (he had played one One Day International in 1989), he was dropped in favour of Alec Stewart in 1995, and never played for England again. Nevertheless, Rhodes was named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1994.

In May 2005, Worcestershire announced that Rhodes had been appointed as Coach, following the departure of Tom Moody. He subsequently served as Director of Cricket between 2006 and 2017.

On 7 June 2018, Bangladesh Cricket Board appointed Rhodes as the Head Coach for the national team until the end of the 2020 ICC World Twenty20. In July 2018, Rhodes lost his first series as a Bangladesh coach where West Indies won the 2-match test series 2–0. In the ODI series, Bangladesh defeated West Indies with a 2–1 lead and recorded their second ODI series victory in West Indies.^[5] Later, Bangladesh managed to beat West Indies in the T20I series with a 2–1 lead.^[6] Rhodes praised his team that th