Meghann Moira Lanning (born 25 March 1992) is an Australian
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
er who currently
captains
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
the
national women's team. She has been a member of six successful world championship campaigns, winning two
Women's Cricket World Cup
The ICC Women's Cricket World Cup is the sport's oldest world championship, with the first tournament held in England in 1973. Matches are played as One Day Internationals (ODIs) over 50 overs per team, while there is also another champion ...
and four
ICC Women's World Twenty20
The ICC Women's T20 World Cup (known as the ICC Women's World Twenty20 until 2019) is the biennial international championship for women's Twenty20 International cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cri ...
titles. Lanning holds the record for the most
Women's One Day International
Women's One Day International (WODI) is the limited overs form of women's cricket. Matches are scheduled for 50 overs, equivalent to the men's game. The first women's ODIs were played in 1973, as part of the first Women's World Cup which was ...
centuries
A century is a period of 100 years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c.
A centennial or ...
and is the first Australian to score 2,000
Twenty20 International
A Twenty20 International (T20I) is a form of cricket, played between two of the international members of the International Cricket Council (ICC), in which each team faces a maximum of twenty overs. The matches have top-class status and are the ...
runs. Domestically, she is the captain of
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
in the
Women's National Cricket League
The Women's National Cricket League (WNCL) is the national domestic 50-over competition for women's cricket in Australia. Featuring seven teams—one from every state, plus the Australian Capital Territory—each season's winner is awarded the ...
and the
Melbourne Stars
The Melbourne Stars are an Australian Twenty20 franchise cricket team, based in Melbourne, Victoria that competes in Australia's Twenty20 competition, the Big Bash League. The Stars wear a green uniform and play their home matches at the Melb ...
in the
Women's Big Bash League
The Women's Big Bash League (known as the WBBL and, for sponsorship reasons, the Weber WBBL) is the Australian women's domestic Twenty20 cricket competition. The WBBL replaced the Australian Women's Twenty20 Cup, which ran from the 2007–08 ...
.
In January 2022, in the one-off
Women's Test match
Women's Test cricket is the longest format of women's cricket and is the female equivalent to men's Test cricket. Matches comprise four-innings and are held over a maximum of four days between two of the leading cricketing nations. The rules gov ...
as part of the
Women's Ashes against England, Lanning became just the third cricketer after England's
Charlotte Edwards
Charlotte Marie Edwards (born 17 December 1979) is an English former cricketer and current cricket coach and commentator. She played primarily as a right-handed batter. She appeared in 23 Test matches, 191 One Day Internationals and 95 Twenty2 ...
and India's
Mithali Raj
Mithali Dorai Raj (born 3 December 1982) is an Indian cricketer and a former captain of the India women's national cricket team from 2004 to 2022. Mithali is the highest run-scorer in women's international cricket and is considered one of the ...
to captain her side in 150 women's international matches.
Early life and education
Lanning was born in
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
to father Wayne, a banker, and mother Sue. Her family shortly thereafter relocated to the
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
suburb of
Thornleigh
Thornleigh is a suburb in the Northern Sydney region, or Upper North Shore of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Thornleigh is located 22 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local governme ...
, 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
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
at primary school level alongside several future
Australian team mates, including
Ellyse Perry
Ellyse Alexandra Perry (born 3 November 1990) is an Australian sportswoman who has represented her country in cricket and association football. Having debuted for both the national cricket team and the national soccer team at the age of 16, s ...
.
While growing up, her sporting idols were
Ricky Ponting
Ricky Thomas Ponting (born 19 December 1974) is an Australian cricket coach, commentator, and former cricketer. Ponting was captain of the Australian national team during its "golden era", between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 20 ...
and
Paul Kelly.
Ahead of her first year at high school, Lanning's family uprooted again, moving to the
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
suburb of
Kew
Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is a ...
. 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.
Lanning completed a
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in Exercise and Health Science at the
Australian Catholic University
Australian Catholic University (ACU) is a public university in Australia. It has seven Australian campuses and also maintains a campus in Rome.
History
Australian Catholic University was opened on 1 January 1991 following the amalgamatio ...
, graduating in 2019.
International cricket
2010–12: Limited overs debut, first World Twenty20 title
Lanning made her international cricket debut on 30 December 2010 in a
T20I
A Twenty20 International (T20I) is a form of cricket, played between two of the international members of the International Cricket Council (ICC), in which each team faces a maximum of twenty overs. The matches have top-class status and are the ...
against
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
at
Saxton Oval
Saxton Oval, also known as Saxton Field, is a cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balan ...
, scoring ten runs in a four-wicket victory. She then played in her first
ODI on 5 January 2011 against
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
at the
WACA Ground
The WACA (formally the WACA Ground) is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. The stadium's name derives from the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association.
The WACA has been referred to as Wester ...
, scoring 20 in a 33-run victory (via the
Duckworth–Lewis method). On both occasions, she appeared alongside fellow debutant
Sarah Coyte
Sarah Jane Cady ( née Coyte; born 30 March 1991) is an Australian cricketer from Camden, New South Wales. A right-arm medium fast bowler, Coyte has taken a total of 100 wickets for the national women's team across Tests, ODIs and T20Is. S ...
.
Two days later, Lanning scored her maiden ODI
century
A century is a period of 100 years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c.
A centennial or ...
, making 103
not out
In cricket, a batter is not out if they come out to bat in an innings and have not been dismissed by the end of an innings. The batter is also ''not out'' while their innings is still in progress.
Occurrence
At least one batter is not out at t ...
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
Ricky Thomas Ponting (born 19 December 1974) is an Australian cricket coach, commentator, and former cricketer. Ponting was captain of the Australian national team during its "golden era", between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 20 ...
at 21 years and 21 days.
At the
2012 ICC Women's World Twenty20
The 2012 ICC Women's World Twenty20 was the third ICC Women's World Twenty20 competition, held in Sri Lanka from 26 September to 7 October 2012. The group stage matches were played at the Galle International Stadium in Galle and semi-finals and ...
, 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
North Sydney Oval is a multi-use sporting facility in North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, owned and operated by North Sydney Council. First used as a cricket ground in 1867, it is also used for Australian rules football, rugby league, rug ...
, Lanning "blitzed" a century off 45 balls to lead her team to an emphatic nine-wicket victory, surpassing
Karen Rolton
Karen Louise Rolton (born 21 November 1974) is an Australian former cricketer and captain of the national women's team. A left-handed batter, she has scored the most runs for her country in women's Test cricket.
International cricket
After m ...
's record for the fastest hundred by an Australian woman.
2013: Cricket World Cup success, Test debut
During a group stage match against New Zealand at the
2013 Women's Cricket World Cup
The 2013 Women's Cricket World Cup was the tenth Women's Cricket World Cup, hosted by India for the third time, and held from 31 January to 17 February 2013. India previously hosted the World Cup in 1978 and 1997. Australia won the tournament for ...
, Lanning scored 112 off 104 deliveries and formed a 182-run
partnership
A partnership is an arrangement where parties, known as business partners, agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests. The partners in a partnership may be individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments o ...
with
Jess Duffin
Jessica Evelyn Duffin (; born 27 June 1989) is an Australian sportswoman. In cricket, she has made 117 international appearances and won four world championships as a member of the Australian women's team. A right-handed batter with a reputa ...
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
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...
, which Australia won by 114 runs to be crowned 50-over world champions.
During the
2013 Women's Ashes, Lanning made her
Test
Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to:
* Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities
Arts and entertainment
* ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film
* ''Test'' (2014 film), ...
debut on 11 August at
Sir Paul Getty's Ground. She was
run out
Run out is a method of dismissal in cricket, governed by Law 38 of the Laws of Cricket.
A run out usually occurs when the batsmen are attempting to run between the wickets, and the fielding team succeed in getting the ball to one wicket befo ...
for 48 in the first innings and made 38 in the second. The match ended in a draw.
2014–16: Assumption of captaincy, second World Twenty20 title
On 19 January 2014, Lanning became Australia's youngest-ever
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
, standing in for
Jodie Fields
Jodie Maree Fields (, born 19 June 1984) is a sports administrator, coach, women's sport and physical activity advocate, and former Australian cricket player.
Fields grew up in Queensland playing boy's and men's cricket before playing women's ...
mid-way through the
2013–14 Women's Ashes. She scored 78 not out from 54 balls in a T20I at
Bellerive Oval
Bellerive Oval, known commercially as Blundstone Arena for sponsorship reasons, is a cricket and Australian rules football ground located in Bellerive, a suburb on the eastern shore of Hobart, Australia, holding 20,000 people it is the large ...
, 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
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, 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
''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...
'' 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
Ellyse Alexandra Perry (born 3 November 1990) is an Australian sportswoman who has represented her country in cricket and association football. Having debuted for both the national cricket team and the national soccer team at the age of 16, s ...
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. Australia went on to secure a series victory in the T20I leg of the tour, marking Lanning's first
Ashes triumph as captain.
On 21 March 2016, Lanning was dismissed without scoring for the first time in a Twenty20 International, setting a record for most T20I innings (61) before registering a
duck
Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form t ...
.
2017–18: Struggle with injury, third World Twenty20 title
Having broken the record for
most centuries (ten) in Women's One Day Internationals earlier in the year,
Lanning entered the
2017 Women's Cricket World Cup under a fitness cloud, battling a persistent right shoulder ailment. Australia's first match of the tournament started in "chaotic fashion" at the coin toss when West Indies captain
Stafanie Taylor called correctly and elected to bat before quickly changing her mind, only for Lanning to object. After much debate, match referee
David Jukes
David Thomas Jukes (born 24 May 1956 in Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex) is a Match referee from England. He made his International debut when Ireland cricket team played against Kenya cricket team at Dublin in July 2009. He member of match referee chos ...
adjudicated Taylor's first call had to stand. Following an eight-wicket defeat of the West Indies, Lanning shrugged off injury concerns with an innings of 152 not out from 135 balls against
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
. She would, however, go on to sit out of group stage matches against
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
and
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
. At the conclusion of the tournament, from which Australia were eliminated via a 36-run semi-final loss to
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
,
CA announced Lanning would undergo shoulder surgery that was expected to sideline her for six to eight months.
Lanning made her return to international cricket on a tour of India in March 2018, during which she became the second-fastest woman to reach 3,000 runs in ODIs and the first Australian to score 2,000 runs in T20Is.
At the
2018 World Twenty20 tournament in the West Indies, Lanning scored 28 not out in the final against England and hit the winning run to secure another championship for Australia.
2019–present: Fourth T20 World Cup title
During the only Test of the
2019 Women's Ashes
The Australia women's cricket team toured England in June and July 2019 to play the England women's cricket team to contest the Women's Ashes. The tour consisted of three Women's One Day Internationals (WODIs), one Women's Test match
Wome ...
, Lanning recorded her first half-century in cricket's longest format. With the match petering out as a "dull" draw, her tactical decisions as captain—including the timing of
declarations and employment of a second new ball—were questioned by several commentators amidst suggestions that "cricket was the loser" and that "a will to win and a desire to do the long format justice went astray". Regardless, the series was dominated by Australia, and outright victory was secured on 29 July at
Chelmsford
Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Southend-on-Sea and Colchester. It is located north-east of London a ...
with a 93-run win in the first T20I of the tour. The match was notable for Lanning's innings of 133
not out
In cricket, a batter is not out if they come out to bat in an innings and have not been dismissed by the end of an innings. The batter is also ''not out'' while their innings is still in progress.
Occurrence
At least one batter is not out at t ...
off 63 balls, making it the second time she had set a new record for highest individual total in women's T20Is.
Lanning played two key innings for Australia at the
2020 Women's T20 World Cup. The first occurred in a group stage victory over Sri Lanka at the WACA Ground, during which she scored 41 not out and formed a 95-run partnership with
Rachael Haynes
Rachael Louise Haynes (born 26 December, 1986) is an Australian former international cricketer who has won six world championships as a member of the national women's team. A left-handed batter, Haynes was vice-captain of Australia from 2017 to ...
. The match, which saw Australia recover from 3/10 to chase down a target of 123 with three balls remaining, was Lanning's 100th T20I appearance. Her second notable performance of the tournament took place in the semi-final at the
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) is a sports stadium in Sydney, Australia. It is used for Test cricket, Test, One Day International and Twenty20 cricket, as well as, Australian rules football and occasionally for rugby league, rugby union and as ...
. She made 49 not out in a rain-affected encounter to help defeat South Africa by five runs (via the
Duckworth–Lewis–Stern method
The Duckworth–Lewis–Stern method (DLS) is a mathematical formulation designed to calculate the target score (number of runs needed to win) for the team batting second in a limited overs cricket match interrupted by weather or other circums ...
). Lanning's team went on to defeat India in the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
at the
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadiu ...
by 85 runs, consequently placing her alongside
Lyn Larsen
Lynette Ann Larsen (born 3 February 1963) is an Australian former cricketer who played as an all-rounder, batting right-handed and bowling right-arm leg break. She appeared in 15 Test matches and 49 One Day Internationals for Australia between ...
and
Michael Clarke as the only Australian cricketers to captain a World Cup title win on home soil.
In November 2020, Lanning was nominated for the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Award for ICC Female Cricketer of the Decade, and the awards for women's ODI and T20I cricketer of the decade. On 4 April 2021, Lanning led Australia in a six-wicket victory against New Zealand, marking the team's world record-breaking 22nd ODI win in a row.
In January 2022, Lanning was named as the captain of Australia's squad for their
series against England to contest the
Women's Ashes
The Women's Ashes is the perpetual trophy in women's international cricket series between England and Australia. The name derives from the historic precedent of the Ashes in male cricket and, until 2013, was similarly decided exclusively on the ...
. Later the same month, she was named as the captain of Australia's team for the
2022 Women's Cricket World Cup
The 2022 ICC Women's Cricket World Cup was the twelfth edition of the Women's Cricket World Cup, which was held in New Zealand in March and April 2022. It was originally scheduled for 6 February to 7 March 2021 but was postponed by one year due ...
in New Zealand. In May 2022, Lanning was named as the captain of Australia's team for the
cricket tournament at the
2022 Commonwealth Games
The 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations that took place in Birmingham, England bet ...
in
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
, England.
Domestic cricket
Women's National Cricket League
Lanning has captained
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
since 2014 and is yet to play in a
Women's National Cricket League
The Women's National Cricket League (WNCL) is the national domestic 50-over competition for women's cricket in Australia. Featuring seven teams—one from every state, plus the Australian Capital Territory—each season's winner is awarded the ...
(WNCL) championship-winning team despite consistently being a standout performer. She made her debut on 6 December 2008, scoring three runs in a win against the
South Australian Scorpions
The South Australia Women cricket team, also known as the Statewide Super South Australian Scorpions, is the women's representative cricket team for the Australian State of South Australia. They play their home games at Karen Rolton Oval, Adel ...
. A breakout season in
2010–11 resulted in two half-centuries and an
average
In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...
of 67.33. Lanning recorded her first WNCL century on 29 October 2011, making 127 off 123 balls against the
Queensland Fire
The Queensland Women cricket team, also known as the Konica Minolta Queensland Fire, is the women's representative cricket team for the Australian State of Queensland. They play most of their home games at Allan Border Field, Brisbane and they ...
. Her form across the
2011–12 season earned her the Sharon Tredrea Trophy as Victoria's Player of the Year. She has since won the same award on five more occasions.
On 10 November 2012, Lanning broke the record for the highest individual WNCL score, making 175 from 143 balls against the
ACT Meteors, surpassing the previous record of 173 set by Karen Rolton.
Eight days later, she made 241 not out off 136 balls for Box Hill in the Victorian Women's Cricket Association (the highest individual total in Women's Premier Cricket until she broke the record again six seasons later with a score of 244 off 145 balls).
On 29 October 2016, Lanning surpassed her own WNCL record by scoring 190 runs off 153 balls against
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
. She was named Player of the Tournament for the
2016–17 season, although her team failed to qualify for the final.
Women's Big Bash League
Melbourne Stars
At the official
Women's Big Bash League
The Women's Big Bash League (known as the WBBL and, for sponsorship reasons, the Weber WBBL) is the Australian women's domestic Twenty20 cricket competition. The WBBL replaced the Australian Women's Twenty20 Cup, which ran from the 2007–08 ...
(WBBL) launch on 10 July 2015, Lanning was unveiled as the
Melbourne Stars
The Melbourne Stars are an Australian Twenty20 franchise cricket team, based in Melbourne, Victoria that competes in Australia's Twenty20 competition, the Big Bash League. The Stars wear a green uniform and play their home matches at the Melb ...
' first-ever player signing and captain. She was the leading run-scorer in the
inaugural season, compiling 560 at an average of 56.00, and was named Player of the Tournament. Although she led the league for runs again in
2016–17, the Stars narrowly missed out on qualifying for the finals for the second consecutive season.
Perth Scorchers
![2019–20 WBBL PS v HH 19-12-01 Lanning (01)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/2019%E2%80%9320_WBBL_PS_v_HH_19-12-01_Lanning_%2801%29.jpg)
Ahead of
WBBL03, Lanning departed the Melbourne Stars and signed on to captain the
Perth Scorchers
The Perth Scorchers is an Australian domestic Twenty20 franchise cricket team representing the Western Australian city of Perth in the Big Bash League (BBL).
The Scorchers are the current BBL Champions, having defeated the Sydney Sixers in the ...
. She did not play a game with the club in the 2017–18 season due to undergoing shoulder surgery. In
2018–19, Lanning continued to be troubled with injuries, consequently playing just nine of 14 games.
She nevertheless "hit a rich run of form"
late in the tournament, managing 389 runs at an average of 48.62, but once again her team fell less than a game short of qualifying for finals.
Lanning was the fourth-highest run-scorer in
WBBL05, finishing with 531 at an average of 40.84. She recorded her first WBBL century on 1 December 2019 in a 35-run win over the
Hobart Hurricanes
The Hobart Hurricanes are an Australian professional men's T20 franchise cricket team based in Tasmania, Australia. They compete in Australia's domestic T20 cricket competition known as the Big Bash League, which is a league where many in ...
. The Scorchers finished the regular season in third place, resulting in Lanning's first WBBL finals appearance, although they were comfortably knocked out of the tournament via an eight-wicket semi-final loss to the
Adelaide Strikers
The Adelaide Strikers are an Australian professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team based in Adelaide, South Australia that compete in the Big Bash League (BBL).Cricket Australia (n.d), Teams and Players, Cricket Australia, accessed 1 Decembe ...
.
Return to the Stars
In June 2020, Lanning flagged the possibility of an imminent WBBL homecoming. With her contract at the Scorchers expired, she announced a return to her former team on 22 July, signing a new deal to play for the Melbourne Stars in
WBBL06. On 22 September, the Stars announced Lanning would resume her role as captain of the team. With an innings of 51 not out from 38 balls against the Perth Scorchers on 7 November at
North Sydney Oval
North Sydney Oval is a multi-use sporting facility in North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, owned and operated by North Sydney Council. First used as a cricket ground in 1867, it is also used for Australian rules football, rugby league, rug ...
, she became the league's first player to score a half-century against all eight teams. The Stars finished the regular season in first place but suffered a comprehensive defeat in the final at the hands of the
Sydney Thunder
The Sydney Thunder are an Australian franchise professional cricket team, competing in Australia's domestic Twenty20 cricket competition, the Big Bash League. Along with the Sydney Sixers, the Thunder are the successors of the New South Wale ...
. Lanning's decision at the
coin toss
A coin is a small, flat (usually depending on the country or value), round piece of metal or plastic used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order to ...
to bat first—a tactic she hadn't used since the 2016–17 season—was described by commentators as a "surprise", a "shock", and a "risky move" that backfired.
The Hundred
In April 2022, Lanning was bought by the
Trent Rockets
Trent Rockets are a franchise 100-ball cricket side based in the city of Nottingham. The team represents the Historic counties of England, historic counties of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire in the newly founded The Hundred (cri ...
for the
2022 season of
The Hundred in England.
Records and statistics
Overview
Lanning holds the record for the most Women's One Day International centuries. She took that record from
Charlotte Edwards
Charlotte Marie Edwards (born 17 December 1979) is an English former cricketer and current cricket coach and commentator. She played primarily as a right-handed batter. She appeared in 23 Test matches, 191 One Day Internationals and 95 Twenty2 ...
on 5 March 2017, when she scored 104* in a match against New Zealand at
Bay Oval
Bay Oval is a cricket ground in Mount Maunganui, Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty area of New Zealand. The ground was built in Blake Park and opened in 2005.
Bay Oval has hosted men's and women's international limited overs matches since 2014. It h ...
,
Mount Maunganui
Mount Maunganui (, ) is a major residential, commercial and industrial suburb of the Tauranga metropolitan area, located on a peninsula to the north-east of Tauranga's city centre. It was an independent town from Tauranga until the completio ...
, to lead Australia to a 2–1 victory in
a Rose Bowl series.
She has also scored two Women's Twenty20 International centuries. Her international centuries are:
One Day International centuries
Twenty20 International centuries
Honours
Team
* 2 x
Women's Cricket World Cup
The ICC Women's Cricket World Cup is the sport's oldest world championship, with the first tournament held in England in 1973. Matches are played as One Day Internationals (ODIs) over 50 overs per team, while there is also another champion ...
champion:
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
* 4x
ICC Women's World Twenty20
The ICC Women's T20 World Cup (known as the ICC Women's World Twenty20 until 2019) is the biennial international championship for women's Twenty20 International cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cri ...
champion:
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
,
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
,
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
,
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
* 3x
Australian Women's Twenty20 Cup
The Australian Women's Twenty20 Cup (WT20) was the premier domestic women's Twenty20 cricket competition in Australia. Beginning in 2007 as a series of exhibition matches, the first official tournament took place during the summer of 2009–10. ...
champion: 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12
Individual
*
ICC Women's ODI Cricketer of the Year: 2015
*
ICC Women's T20I Cricketer of the Year: 2014
*
''Wisden'' Leading Woman Cricketer in the World: 2015
* 3x
Belinda Clark Award winner: 2014, 2015, 2017
*
Women's National Cricket League
The Women's National Cricket League (WNCL) is the national domestic 50-over competition for women's cricket in Australia. Featuring seven teams—one from every state, plus the Australian Capital Territory—each season's winner is awarded the ...
Player of the Tournament: 2016–17
* 6x
Sharon Tredrea Trophy winner: 2011–12, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2018–19
*
Women's Big Bash League
The Women's Big Bash League (known as the WBBL and, for sponsorship reasons, the Weber WBBL) is the Australian women's domestic Twenty20 cricket competition. The WBBL replaced the Australian Women's Twenty20 Cup, which ran from the 2007–08 ...
Player of the Tournament: 2015–16
* 2x
Melbourne Stars
The Melbourne Stars are an Australian Twenty20 franchise cricket team, based in Melbourne, Victoria that competes in Australia's Twenty20 competition, the Big Bash League. The Stars wear a green uniform and play their home matches at the Melb ...
Player of the Season: 2015–16, 2016–17
*
Australian Women's Health Sport Awards Australian Women's Health Women in Sport Awards were first awarded in 2011. The awards were established by the Australian Women's Health Magazine to recognise the achievements of Australian women in sport. The awards are the main awards for Australi ...
Leadership Legend: 2019
* Appointed
Member of the Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...
in the
2022 Queen's Birthday Honours for "significant service to women's cricket at the elite level".
Personal life
Lanning's
nicknames
A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...
are "Megastar" and "Serious Sally", the latter being an allusion to her level-headedness. Early in her career, she had another nickname, "Fui": "There is a rugby league player called
Fui Fui Moi Moi and as my middle name is Moira - I then got Fui."
Lanning has a strong interest in a variety of other sports, representing Victoria in
hockey
Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...
at junior level (and also having played at senior level for the Hawthorn Hockey Club) as well as supporting the
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans are a professional Australian rules football club based in Sydney, New South Wales. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW). The Swans also field a reser ...
in
Australian rules football
Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
.
The fourth of five children, Lanning has been a member of top-level domestic cricket teams alongside her younger sister,
Anna
Anna may refer to:
People Surname and given name
* Anna (name)
Mononym
* Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke
* Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773)
* Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century)
* Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 12 ...
.
Notes
References
External links
*
Meg Lanningat
Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia (CA), formerly known as the Australian Cricket Board (ACB), is the governing body for professional and amateur cricket in Australia. It was originally formed in 1905 as the 'Australian Board of Control for International Crick ...
Meg Lanning Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lanning, Meg
1992 births
Australia women Twenty20 International cricketers
Australia women One Day International cricketers
Living people
Melbourne Stars (WBBL) cricketers
People educated at Carey Baptist Grammar School
Cricketers from Melbourne
Sportswomen from Victoria (Australia)
Victoria women cricketers
Australia Test cricket captains
Perth Scorchers (WBBL) cricketers
IPL Supernovas cricketers
Wisden Leading Woman Cricketers in the World
Australia women Test cricketers
Members of the Order of Australia
Cricketers at the 2022 Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia
Commonwealth Games medallists in cricket