In a shocking decision, Meg Lanning announced her retirement from international cricket at the age of 31. Lanning led Australia in 182 international matches in her career spanning 241 matches and 13 years. Currently captaining Melbourne Stars in the WBBL, Lanning announced her retirement effective immediately calling it "the right time" to step away."The decision to step away from international cricket was a difficult one to make, 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," Lanning said in a statement.
"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," she said. "I also want to say a huge thank you to all the fans who have supported me throughout my international career."Lanning made her debut in 2010 as an 18-year old, starting with the T20I format first. She has played 132 T20Is and 103 ODIs and also represented Australia in six Test matches. Lanning, who first led Australia in 2014, has been one of the most successful captains in women's cricket. Her record as captain includes 69 wins out of 78 ODIs, 76 wins in 100 T20Is and a Test victory as well in the four Tests that she captained Australia. She led her team to four T20 WC titles, one ODI World Cup and also the Commonwealth Games gold last year.
Since the Commonwealth Games, however, Lanning missed several series. She wasn't part of the Australian setup for this year's tours of England, Ireland and also a home series against the West Indies. She had also missed Australia's tour of India in 2022, opting to take a six-month break. While Alyssa Healy was named the interim captain then, Australia will now look for permanent new skipper as they embark on a multi-format tour to India next month.Among her several records as a batter, Lanning is the youngest to score an international century (104* vs England in Perth in 2011, age 18 and 288 days) and she also holds the record for the fastest century for Australia in Women's ODIs (45-ball 100 against New Zealand in 2012 in Sydney).
Lanning also captained Delhi Capitals at the inaugural Women's Premier League earlier this year, finishing as runners-up. Brought by the franchise at INR 1.1 Crore, the 31-year-old was retained ahead of the auctions for the second edition, and is likely to continue playing franchise and domestic cricket.
