Meg Lanning made her debut as a teenager in a T20 match against New Zealand in 2010 and the following year scored the first of her 17 career centuries against England in her second one-day international.
Meg Lanning announced her retirement from international cricket on Thursday, after nearly 13 years as captain of the Kangaroos. Lanning, who led Australia to five World Cup victories, scored 8,352 runs in 241 matches across all three formats.
“The decision to step away from international cricket was a difficult one to make,” said the 31-year-old, “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.”
“I’d like to express my gratitude to my family, teammates, Cricket Victoria, Cricket Australia, and the Australian Cricketers’ Association for allowing me to play the game I love at the highest level.”
“I also want to say a huge thank you to all the fans who have supported me throughout my international career.”
Lanning made his T20 debut against New Zealand in 2010 and was appointed captain in 2014, at the age of 21. She had an eighty percent victory percentage and went on to win the 50-overs global title in 2022 as well as the T20 crowns in 2014, 2018, 2020, and 2023.
Her most recent international encounter was in South Africa earlier this year, where she led her team to victory.
Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley paid tribute to her outstanding career, saying, “One of the finest cricketers Australia has produced, Meg’s supreme achievements with the bat have been matched by her inspiring leadership.” Meg has made an immense influence and lead a generation that has helped transform the game as one of the top players in the world for a long time.
“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,” she said.
The Australian team had an 80%-win rate under Lanning and set the world record for consecutive wins in ODI cricket with 26 victories between 2018 and 2021.
