Meg Lanning
(Age 32 Yr. )
Personal Life
| Education | Bachelor's degree in Exercise and Health Science |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Profession | Cricketer (Batsman) |
| Place | Singapore |
Physical Appearance
| Height | 5 feet 7 inches |
| Weight | 55 kg ( approx. ) |
| Eye Color | Blue |
| Hair Color | Black |
Family Status
| Parents | Father- Wayne (Banker) |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Siblings | Sister- Anna Lanning |
Index
| 1. Early life and education |
| 2. International cricket |
| 3. 2023: Fifth T20 World Cup title |
| 4. Domestic cricket |
| 5. Record And Stats |
| 6. Personal life |
Meg Lanning is Australia's victorious captain at the 2014 Women's World T20 in Bangladesh. In fact, she is the youngest Australian to captain an Australian cricket squad in both Men's and Women's cricket. She first represented Australia in the T20 format in 2010 and is a regular member of the side as she does very well with the bat in the middle-order.
Lanning played the Test match format for the country for the first in 2013 taking on England in an Ashes series away from home. During the return Ashes series Down Under, she led her side but couldn't stop England from winning the game.
Early life and education
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.
Lanning has a Bachelor's degree in Exercise and Health Science from the Australian Catholic University. She graduated in 2019.
International cricket
2010–2012: Limited overs debut, first World Twenty20 title
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.
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.
2013: Cricket World Cup success, Test debut
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.
2014–2016: Assumption of captaincy, second World Twenty20 title
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.
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.
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.
2017–2018: 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
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.
2019–2020: Fourth T20 World Cup title
During the only Test of the 2019 Women's Ashes, Lanning recorded her first half-century in cricket's longest format.
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. 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.
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.
2021–2022: Second Cricket World Cup title
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. She captained the team in four more consecutive victories before the streak was finally broken at 26 against India in September.
Lanning began the 2022 Women's Cricket World Cup with an innings of 86, and a second-wicket partnership of 196 alongside Rachael Haynes, in a twelve-run victory against England at Seddon Park. She went on to score 97 against India and 135 not out against South Africa, while Australia progressed through the group stage of the tournament undefeated. In the final, played at Hagley Oval, Australia defeated England by 71 runs to give Lanning her first 50-over world championship as captain.
2023: Fifth T20 World Cup title
Lanning made her international cricket return against Pakistan in January 2023. The following month, she captained Australia to another major championship with her team going through the 2023 ICC Women's T20 World Cup undefeated. Having scored 41 from 33 balls in a 97-run victory against New Zealand at Boland Park to begin the tournament, she played another key innings of 49 not out from 34 balls in a memorable semi-final win against India at Newlands. The five-run victory, in which Australia pulled off an unlikely comeback, was described by Lanning as "one of the best wins I have been involved in".
Domestic cricket
Women's National Cricket League
Lanning has captained Victoria since 2014 and is yet to play in a Women's National Cricket League (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. A breakout season in 2010–11 resulted in two half-centuries and an average of 67.33. Lanning recorded her first WNCL century on 29 October 2011, making 127 off 123 balls against the Queensland Fire. 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.
Women's Big Bash League
Melbourne Stars
At the official Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) launch on 10 July 2015, Lanning was unveiled as the Melbourne Stars' 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
Ahead of WBBL|03, Lanning departed the Melbourne Stars and signed on to captain the Perth Scorchers. 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.
The Hundred
In April 2022, Lanning was bought by the Trent Rockets for the 2022 season of The Hundred in England, but she ultimately pulled out of the tournament.
Women's Premier League
Lanning was bought by the Delhi Capitals in the 2023 Women's Premier League (WPL) player auction for a price of ₹1.1 crore (US$140,000). She was subsequently named the team's captain for the inaugural WPL season. Lanning was the leading run-scorer of the tournament, amassing 345 runs in nine innings to win the Orange Cap. After finishing the regular season in first place, her team lost to the Mumbai Indians in the championship decider.
Record And Stats
One Day International centuries
Twenty20 International centuries
| No. | Score | Opponents | City/Country | Venue | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 126 |  Ireland | Sylhet, Bangladesh | Sylhet International Cricket Stadium | 2014 | |
| 2 | 133* |  England | Chelmsford, England | County Ground | 2019 | |
Personal life
Lanning's nicknames 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 at junior level (and also having played at senior level for the Hawthorn Hockey Club) as well as supporting the Sydney Swans in Australian rules football. The fourth of five children, Lanning has been a member of top-level domestic cricket teams alongside her younger sister, Anna.
In August 2022, Lanning announced an indefinite hiatus from cricket, citing personal reasons. During her break, she worked in a café and also spent time travelling, and received praise among the cricket community for the "brave" decision to take time away from the sport. She returned to international cricket in January 2023, for a bilateral series against Pakistan.