Sydney: Breaking records Meg Lanning, the captain of Australia’s women’s cricket team, declared on Thursday that she had “nothing left to achieve” after quitting the game.
Australian captain Lanning retires: The 31-year-old top-order batsman, known as “Megastar” for her run-scoring prowess, guided Australia to four Twenty20 World Cup championships, one 50-over World Cup victory, and a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games.
Lanning was instrumental in drawing attention to the gender wage disparity in men’s and women’s professional cricket off the pitch.
After playing cricket for her country for 13 years and earning 182 caps, Lanning declared that it was the “right time to move on to something new.”
At Melbourne Cricket Ground, a heartbroken Lanning said to reporters, “I’ve achieved so much within the game and been lucky enough to have such a successful career and be part of very successful teams.”
“I suppose I feel like I have nothing else to accomplish on the global scene at this point.
Further, “I can never be halfway commit with anything, and I think that’s where I’ve ended up with this choice.”
“I need to move on because I no longer have the spark or the motivation to do what needs to get done at this level.”
When Lanning thanked her parents and family for their support throughout the years, she became quite emotional and started crying.
“A dog fight injury sidelined Alyssa Healy, the veteran wicketkeeper who had previously captained the Australian squad, in Lanning’s absence due to a finger injury.”
Cricket Australia has not yet announced the long-term replacement for Lanning.
Breaking Records
“One of the finest cricketers Australia has produced,” according to chief executive Nick Hockley, Lanning is “one of the best players in the world over a long period of time.”
He continued, “Under Meg’s direction, the Australian women’s cricket team has established a legacy of worldwide supremacy and has been at the forefront of developing the sport and motivating the upcoming generation of cricket players everywhere.”
According to Cricket Australia, Lanning is the leading run scorer for the Australian women’s squad and has more one-day hundreds than any other woman.
Under Lanning’s captaincy, Australia won 26 straight one-day matches between 2018 and 2021, which is still the record winning streak in that format.
Lanning took a six-month hiatus before rejoining the Australian squad in January in order to “focus on myself.”
After her return, she captained Australia to victory in the Twenty20 World Cup held in South Africa and advanced the Delhi Capitals to the Women’s Premier League final held in India.
Lanning will keep participating in regional events, according to Cricket Australia.
