Meg Lanning

Meghann Moira Lanning (born 25 March 1992) is a former Australian cricketer who formerly captain ed the national women's team.

Lanning has been a member of seven successful world championship campaigns, winning two Women's Cricket World Cup and five ICC Women's World Twenty20 titles.

She holds the record for the most Women's One Day International centuries and is the first Australian to score 2,000 Twenty20 International runs.

Domestically, Lanning plays for Victoria in the Women's National Cricket League and the Melbourne Stars in the Women's Big Bash League.

She is also the captain of the Delhi Capitals in the Women's Premier League.

On 9 November 2023 she announced her retirement from international cricket.

Lanning was born in Singapore to father Wayne, a banker, and mother Sue.

Her family shortly thereafter relocated to the Sydney suburb of Thornleigh, where she attended Warrawee Public School.

Lanning began playing organised cricket at the age of ten, following a suggestion from her teacher to try out for a regional team.

She went on to represent New South Wales at primary school level alongside several future Australian team mates, including Ellyse Perry.

While growing up, her sporting idols were Ricky Ponting and Paul Kelly.

Ahead of her first year at high school, Lanning's family uprooted again, moving to the Melbourne suburb of Kew.

She attended Carey Baptist Grammar School and, at 14 years of age, made headlines by becoming the first girl to play First XI cricket for an Associated Public Schools team.

In 2021, Lanning was awarded the Carey Medal, which is presented annually to a past or present student, staff member or parent in "recognition of exceptional and outstanding service to the wider community".

Lanning has a Bachelor's degree in Exercise and Health Science from the Australian Catholic University.

Lanning made her international cricket debut on 30 December 2010 in a T20I against New Zealand at Saxton Oval, scoring ten runs in a four-wicket victory.

She then played in her first ODI on 5 January 2011 against England at the WACA Ground, scoring 20 in a 33-run victory (via the Duckworth–Lewis method).

On both occasions, she appeared alongside fellow debutant Sarah Coyte.

Two days later, Lanning scored her maiden ODI century, making 103 not out off 118 balls to help Australia defeat England by nine wickets.

At 18 years and 288 days, she became the country's youngest-ever centurion—a record previously held by Ricky Ponting at 21 years and 21 days.

At the 2012 ICC Women's World Twenty20, Lanning was the third-highest run-scorer with 138 across five innings.

She made 25 off 24 balls against England in the final which Australia went on to win by four runs.

In an ODI against New Zealand on 17 December at North Sydney Oval, Lanning "blitzed" a century off 45 balls to lead her team to an emphatic nine-wicket victory, surpassing Karen Rolton's record for the fastest hundred by an Australian woman.

During a group stage match against New Zealand at the 2013 Women's Cricket World Cup, Lanning scored 112 off 104 deliveries and formed a 182-run partnership with Jess Duffin to help chase down a target of 228 with seven wickets in hand and 70 balls remaining.

She contributed 31 from 41 in the final against the West Indies, which Australia won by 114 runs to be crowned 50-over world champions.

During the 2013 Women's Ashes, Lanning made her Test debut on 11 August at Sir Paul Getty's Ground.

She was run out for 48 in the first innings and made 38 in the second.

The match ended in a draw.

On 19 January 2014, Lanning became Australia's youngest-ever captain, standing in for Jodie Fields mid-way through the 2013–14 Women's Ashes.

She scored 78 not out from 54 balls in a T20I at Bellerive Oval, although England would go on to win the match by nine wickets and consequently clinch the series.

In February 2014, Lanning was appointed as the full-time captain of Australia's T20 team.

In a retrospective interview, she described the decision as "a bit of a shock because I hadn't really thought too much about leadership or anything like that".

At the 2014 World Twenty20, Lanning was the tournament's top run-scorer, compiling 257 across six innings.

During a group stage match against Ireland, she made 126 runs from 65 balls to set a new record for highest individual total in women's T20Is.

In the final against England, she scored 44 off 30 to help Australia chase down a target of 106 with seven wickets in hand and 29 balls remaining.

Lanning was confirmed as the national team's captain for all three forms of the game in June 2014.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported the appointment as a "messy captaincy handover" from incumbent Fields, who subsequently retired from international cricket despite urges from Australian selectors to reconsider.

In the second ODI of the 2015 Women's Ashes, Lanning scored 104 from 98 deliveries and formed a partnership of 132 with Ellyse Perry in a 63-run win.

She followed up with another strong performance in the following match, scoring 85 off 89 to help defeat England by 89 runs.

She graduated in 2019.