Melbourne: Australian women’s cricket team captain Meg Lanning has announced her retirement from international cricket at the age of 31, nearly 13 years after making her debut.
Lanning will continue to play in domestic competitions, including the Women’s Big Bash League and the Women’s National Cricket League.
No captain in the history of cricket has lifted more World Cup trophies than Lanning, who retires as one of Australian sport’s most successful leaders. She captained Australia on 182 occasions, more than any other women’s player, and led the team to a historic five World Cup crowns.
The Australian women’s team had an 80%-win rate under Lanning’s captaincy and set the world record for consecutive wins in ODI cricket (26) between 2018 and 2021.
The seven-time World Cup winner and three-time Belinda Clark medallist amassed 8,352 runs from 241 international matches. The top-order batter scored 17 centuries across her international career.
Speaking on her retirement, Lanning said: “The decision to step away from international cricket was a difficult one to make, but I feel now is the right time for me. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to enjoy a 13-year international career, but I know now is the right time for me to move on to something new.
“Team success is why you play the game, I’m proud of what I have been able to achieve and will cherish the moments shared with teammates along the way.”
She made her international debut on December 30, 2010, in a T20I against New Zealand and became the youngest Australian to score a century when she scored 104 not out against England at the WACA Ground aged 18 years and 288 days. It was just her third match and second ODI.
Lanning was already a T20 and ODI World Cup winner (2012 and 2013 respectively) when she was appointed Australian captain at 21 and oversaw a period of unrivalled dominance for the Australian women’s team.
The stylish batter was crowned the Belinda Clark medallist three times across a four-year period between 2014 and 2017, highlighting her sustained brilliance and ability to consistently deliver match-winning performances in all formats of the game.
Captaining Australia to one ICC Cricket World Cup (2022), four ICC Women’s T20 World Cup (2014, 2018, 2020 and 2023) titles and a Commonwealth Games gold medal ensures Lanning retires as one of the most decorated captains in the history of cricket.
The crowning moment of Lanning’s storied international career came in her hometown of Melbourne when she lifted the T20 World Cup in front of 86,174 fans at the MCG on March 8, 2020.
In what turned out to be Lanning’s final match in the green and gold, she led Australia to the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup title in front of a packed crowd at Newlands in Cape Town earlier this year.
Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley said: “On behalf of Australian Cricket, I would like to congratulate Meg on her incredible career as an Australian cricketer and all she has achieved as captain of the Australian women’s cricket team.
“One of the finest cricketers Australia has produced, Meg’s supreme achievements with the bat have been matched by her inspiring leadership. As one of the best players in the world over a long period of time, Meg has made an immeasurable impact and led a generation which has helped revolutionise the game.
“Under Meg’s leadership, the Australian women’s cricket team has built a legacy of global dominance and has been at the forefront of growing the game and inspiring the next generation of cricketers all around the world.
“A seven-time World Cup winner and Commonwealth Games gold medallist, Meg retires from international cricket having achieved everything there is to achieve and we thank her for the immense contribution she has made.”
–IANS