Meg Lanning

Meg Lanning is a cricket superstar. Despite her young age, the Australian captain has made a big impact at both domestic and international level.

She made her domestic debut for Victoria in 2008 at the age of 16 and quickly settled into the top order. Lanning had a breakout domestic season in 2011-12 in which she claimed the Women’s National Cricket League T20 Player of the Year award, as well as the Sharon Tredrea Trophy and Cathryn Fitzpatrick Award for the WNCL and Women's T20 Player of the Year respectively for the Commonwealth Bank VicSpirit.

Lanning finished as the third-highest run scorer at the 2012 ICC Women’s World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka andwas rewarded with selection in the Team of the Tournament. Her results also saw her become the first player to score over 30 runs in five consecutive T20 internationals.

Lanning enjoyed a record-breaking season in 2012-13 at international, domestic and club level. In December 2012 at the age of 20 she broke the record for the fastest 50 and fastest 100 in an ODI by an Australian female cricketer.

She required only 23 balls to reach her half-century, then went on to notch her ton from just 45 balls. Her knock included 18 fours and three sixes and saw her overtake Karen Rolton on the honour roll, who took 57 balls to reach the milestone in 2000.

While playing for Victoria in the WNCL earlier that season Lanning broke the record for the highest individual score in a WNCL match when she hit 175, including 27 boundaries, against the ACT Meteors; once again eclipsing Rolton (173).

Only eight days after snatching the WNCL record, Lanning broke the record for the highest score in a Victorian Women’s Cricket Association (VWCA) match. Playing for Box Hill, she posted 241 off 136 balls, which included 34 fours and four sixes.

She capped off her season by helping Australia claim the ICC Women’s World Cup in India in early 2013, a tournament in which she notched her fourth one-day international century against New Zealand.

Lanning took over as full-time ODI captain in 2014, after leading the T20 side earlier that year and filling in with the 50-over side in Jodie Fields’ absence due to injury. She went on to lead Australia to a clean sweep of Pakistan in both ODI and T20 series.

In 2015, she led the Australia to their first Ashes series win in England since 2001, and she captained the Melbourne Stars in WBBL|01.