Meg Lanning, the Australia women's cricket captain, has decided to step away from cricket for an indefinite period of time. Lanning, who is Australia's most capped women's captain, said she has taken the decision due to personal reasons, with Cricket Australia extending its full support towards the 30-year-old.
"We're proud of Meg for acknowledging that she needs a break and will continue to support her during this time. She's been an incredible contributor to Australian cricket over the last decade, achieving remarkable feats both individually and as part of the team, and has been a brilliant role model for young kids. The welfare of our players is always our number one priority, and we'll continue to work with Meg to ensure she gets the support and space she needs." said Shawn Flegler, CA's head of performance, women's cricket.
Lanning has been at the forefront of Australia women's domination in world cricket. In the last two years, she has led the team to a T20 and a 50-over World Cup, to go with an Ashes series win. As of now, there is no fixed date as to when Lanning will return as she penned down a statement explaining the reason behind her decision and wished that her privacy is respected.
"After a busy couple of years, I've made the decision to take a step back to enable me to spend time focusing on myself. I'm grateful for the support of CA and my teammates and ask that my privacy is respected during this time," Lanning said.
{{/usCountry}}"After a busy couple of years, I've made the decision to take a step back to enable me to spend time focusing on myself. I'm grateful for the support of CA and my teammates and ask that my privacy is respected during this time," Lanning said.
{{/usCountry}}The Australia captain is one of the greatest batters in women's cricket, currently ranked 2nd in ICC T20I rankings and fifth in ODIs. Having made her debut in 2010, Lanning was appointed captain in 2014, when she was all of 21 years old. Since, Lanning has captained Australia in a record 171 matches, with only the legendary Allan Border and Ricky Ponting ahead of her. Lanning stepping down promises to pose a challenge for Cricket Australia as they look for a new captain. Australia will be touring India for a five-T20I series, which might see a change in guard.