Image Credit- Getty
Meg Lanning, 31, has shockingly decided to retire from
international cricket with immediate effect.
The captain of Australia hadn’t represented her nation
on the pitch since winning the T20 World Cup in South Africa in February.
Despite being fit, she did not participate in the recent T20I and ODI series
against West Indies and missed Australia’s trip of the UK owing to an
undisclosed medical issue. She later returned to play WNCL cricket for
Victoria.
“The decision to step away from international
cricket was a difficult one to make, but I feel now is the right time for
me,” Lanning said. “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
team-mates along the way.
“I’d like to thank my family, my teammates,
Cricket Victoria, Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association
for their support to allow 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 has taken multiple pauses from cricket for a
range of reasons in the past few seasons. She took a break from the game in
2022 after Australia’s victory at the Commonwealth Games and worked as a
barista in a neighbourhood coffee shop in Melbourne. She did not make it to
Australia’s December tour of India, but she did come back for the 2023 T20
World Cup preparations.
Lanning played 241 matches for Australia, including
six Tests, 103 ODIs, and 132 T20Is, since making her debut on the international
scene in 2010 at the age of 18. Having led Australia to four T20 World Cup
wins, an ODI World Cup trophy, and a Commonwealth Games title, she will go down
as one of the most successful captains in cricket history. She took the lead in
her country in 182 matches across her career having been handed the role as a
21-year-old in 2014.