Sporting icons : Meg Lanning- A lookback at her career & video

 

Meg Lanning was born on March 25, 1992. She is a right-handed batter in womens cricket and occasional right-arm medium bowler. 

Meg Lanning is a right-handed batter known for her elegant and technically sound batting style. She is proficient in playing both aggressive and classical cricket shots, which makes her a versatile batter across all formats of the game. Lanning possesses excellent timing and placement, allowing her to find the gaps in the field and accumulate runs consistently. She is particularly strong on the off-side, with fluent drives & cuts through cover and extra cover being a trademark of her batting. Additionally, she is adept at playing the pull and cut shots, which she executes with precision to punish any loose deliveries from the bowlers. Overall, Lanning's batting style is characterized by a combination of technique, power, and adaptability, making her one of the most formidable batters in women's cricket.

Here's a more detailed look at her career:

1. **Early Career**: Lanning's cricketing journey began at a young age, and she made her debut for Victoria in domestic cricket in 2008 at the age of 16. She quickly gained attention for her batting skills and was earmarked as a future star.

2. **International Debut**: Lanning made her international debut for the Australian women's cricket team in January 2010 in a T20I match against England. She made an immediate impact, showcasing her talent with the bat.

3. **Consistency and Records**: Throughout her career, Lanning has been known for her consistency as a batswoman. She holds numerous records in women's cricket, including being the youngest Australian to score an international century and the fastest to reach 1,000 runs in Women's One Day Internationals (ODIs).

As a batter Meg has scored  4602 runs in 103 WODIs at a high 53.51 average and 92 strike rate with 15 centuries and 21 half centuries with a top score of 152 not out . In 132 WT20Is she scored 3405 runs at 36.61 average and 116 strike rate with 2 centuries and a top score of 133 not out .  In 6 tests Meg scored 345 runs at 31.36 average with 2 fifties and a top score of 93. 

Meg has the highest number of 100s in women's international cricket with 17 and no current cricketer apart from the aging  Suzie Bates is close 

4. **Captaincy**: In 2014, Lanning was appointed the captain of the Australian women's cricket team, succeeding Jodie Fields. Under her leadership, Australia has enjoyed remarkable success, winning multiple ICC Women's World Cup titles and ICC Women's T20 World Cup titles.

Meg has won 6 T20I World cups (4 as captain )  and one ODI world cup and is regarded as an all time great captain . She led an invincible Australian women cricket team which won many titles including few Ashes wins  under her leadership .

Meg won 146 matches out of 179 as captain . She won Ashes series both at home and away and also won the Commonwealth Games gold in 2022 .

5. **Domestic Career**: Alongside her international commitments, Lanning has had a successful domestic career. She has represented Victoria in the Women's National Cricket League (WNCL) and has played for the Melbourne Stars in the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL).

6. **Awards and Recognition**: Lanning's contributions to cricket have been widely recognized. She has received numerous awards, including being named the ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year in 2014 and 2015.

Throughout her career, Meg Lanning has established herself as one of the leading figures in women's cricket, admired for her batting prowess, leadership qualities, and remarkable achievements on the field.

Meg who has won 7 world cups in her 13 year old career and 6 as captain had taken two extended breaks in the last 2 years and now she has said that she does not have the drive to play international cricket any more .

In the below video , watch one of her best hundreds scored vs England.  A breathtaking 133 in 60 odd balls .