Cricket: Australian captain Meg Lanning is taking an indefinite break from the game

Australian captain Meg Lanning has made a shock announcement to step away from cricket just after winning Commonwealth Games gold.

Megan Schutt and Meg Lanning after winning gold in Birmingham (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

World Cup winning Australian captain Meg Lanning has announced she is stepping away from cricket for an indefinite period declaring she needs some time to focus on herself.

Just days after leading her team to Commonwealth Games gold, 30-year-old Lanning opted to take a break for personal reasons, with no fixed date for her return.

“After a busy couple of years, I’ve made the decision take a step back to enable me to spend time focusing on myself,” she said in a statement.

“I’m grateful for the support of CA and my teammates and ask that my privacy is respected during this time.”

If anyone deserves a break, it's Meg Lanning. pic.twitter.com/BC8fKTwSDw

— Cricket Australia (@CricketAus) August 10, 2022

Lanning, who has captained Australia since 2014, was next due to play in the upcoming edition of The Hundred in England and her immediate playing future remains unclear.

A Cricket Australia statement said Lanning’s participation in the upcoming Australian domestic summer would be “made in due course” with the captain taking “a period of indefinite leave effective immediately”.

The Australian team aren’t due to play again until December when they make a T20 tour of India before a home one-day series against Pakistan in January, but whether Lanning will takes part in the WBBL, which begins in October, remains unclear.

Meg Lanning celebrates winning gold in Birmingham with her teammates (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

The Commonwealth Games in Birmingham concluded an extremely busy two-and-a-half year period in which Lanning and her team won both the T20I and ODI World Cups, as well as a home Ashes series.

CA’s Head of Performance, Women’s Cricket, Shawn Flegler said they supported her decision and welfare remained the number one priority.

“We’re proud of Meg for acknowledging that she needs a break and will continue to support her during this time,” he said.

“She’s been an incredible contributor to Australian cricket over the last decade, achieving remarkable feats both individually and as part of the team, and has been a brilliant role model for young kids.

“The welfare of our players is always our number one priority, and we’ll continue to work with Meg to ensure she gets the support and space she needs.”

Lanning, who has captained Australia 171 times – a number surpassed by only Ricky Ponting and Allan Border - also recently stepped down from the captaincy of Victoria before making this latest announcement.

Originally published as Cricket: Australian captain Meg Lanning is taking an indefinite break from the game