Meg Lanning steps away from cricket ‘due to personal reasons’

BREAKING NEWS: Meg Lanning takes a break from cricket ‘to focus on myself’ just DAYS after guiding Australia to dramatic Commonwealth Games victory over India

  • Cricket star Meg Lanning has stepped away from cricket for an indefinite period 
  • The Australia women’s team captain just helped her side to gold in Birmingham 
  • However, Cricket Australia says she will take a break ‘due to personal reasons’ 

Meg Lanning will take a period of indefinite leave from the Australian women’s cricket team due to personal reasons.

The national team captain, 30, played for her country just three days ago at the Commonwealth Games where she won gold after helping her side beat India by nine runs at Edgbaston.

Lanning, who is ranked No 2 in the world by the ICC, stepped down as captain of Victoria last month due to a hectic cricket schedule but will now take a break from the sport altogether. 

In a statement published by Cricket Australia’s Twitter account, she said: ‘After a busy couple of years, I’ve made the decision to take a step back to enable me to spend time focusing on myself.’ 

She was due to play in The Hundred this year with Trent Rockets, but her surprise decision has halted those plans.

The English side said in a statement: ‘We’re naturally disappointed that Meg won’t be playing for us this year, but she has our total support as she takes a break from cricket. We wish her all the best. 

‘The rest of the Rockets Women’s team are excited to get their Hundred season under way on Saturday, and we’ll announce details of a replacement for Meg in due course.’ 

Lanning has been a mainstay in Australian cricket for 12 years, making her debut as an 18-year-old in a T20 match against New Zealand in 2010.

She is one of the most successful cricketers of all time, contributing to no fewer than six successful world championship campaigns, including two ODI tournaments and four T20 titles.

More to follow 

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