Life after Lanning: Will Australia turn to experience or look to the future for their next women’s captain?

After the best part of a decade in the role, Australian selectors will finally have to elect a new full-time captain of the women’s cricket team. Here are the four main candidates.

Meg Lanning’s retirement from international cricket leaves a huge void in leadership in the Australian team.

Since becoming the youngest captain in Australian cricket history at age 21, Lanning has led her side to unprecedented success since 2014.

She ends her career having captained Australia 182 times.

Replacing her will be no easy task but coach Shelley Nitschke and the Australian selectors will analyse several options.

The first assignment will be a multi-format tour of India next month and a freak injury has made the decision harder than it initially appeared to be.

ALYSSA HEALY

Alyssa Healy will be the immediate replacement for Lanning as Australian captain.

The 33-year-old wicketkeeper has made more than 250 appearances for her country and has long held the role of vice-captain under Lanning.

Across the past 12 months, she has also been captain in seven ODIs and 10 T20Is when Lanning has taken a break from the game.

It’s been a relatively seamless transition in a dominant Australian side that has won a series in India, against the West Indies and retained the Ashes.

However, a finger injury Healy suffered while trying to separate her dogs at home could rule her out of the tour to India.

If Healy is unavailable, Australia will have its first different ODI and Test captain outside Healy, Lanning and Rachael Haynes since Jodie Fields almost a decade ago.

TAHLIA MCGRATH

McGrath looms as the long-term successor for Lanning after building an inimitable resume in international cricket.

Since coming into the side more frequently ahead of the 2021 summer, McGrath has cemented her status as one of the best all-rounders in the world.

She has said leadership doesn’t come naturally to her but since establishing herself in the Australian side she has been able to dedicate more time to the craft.

McGrath has worked with former Australian captain Belinda Clark and her leadership program to develop.

It immediately paid dividends when she led the Adelaide Strikers to their first WBBL title last year.

With Lanning unavailable and Haynes retired, she was named Australian vice-captain for the white-ball tour of India last year.

When Healy was ruled out for the final T20 match of that series, McGrath became just the eighth Australian women’s captain in the format.

At just 27, McGrath has plenty of time on her side and would be the perfect, stable option to replace Lanning’s contributions with the bat and leadership on the field.

McGrath took charge of one T20 in India when both Healy and Lanning were unavailable. Picture: Getty Images

ASH GARDNER

One of the most talented players in Australia, captaincy appears to be the next accolade for Ash Gardner.

The 26-year-old has plenty of cricket ahead of her and is beginning to branch out and show her leadership capabilities.

Named vice-captain of the Sydney Sixers last season, she stepped up as captain for their WBBL09 season opener because Ellyse Perry was suspended.

Like McGrath, she has worked extensively on building her leadership acumen with Belinda Clark in a nod to the future.

Gardner has also been a strong and articulate voice in the Indigenous community. She has spoken up on important issues such as changing the date of Australia Day and recognition.

If she were to become captain, she would make history as the first Indigenous cricketer to lead an Australian team.

The most likely path seems to be Gardner becoming vice-captain under McGrath in the coming years.

Gardner continues to take on more leadership responsibilities in her cricket. Picture: Getty Images

ELLYSE PERRY

It’s remarkable to think that in Perry’s 16-year international career she has not once captained her country.

The honour is about the only accolade she hasn’t achieved.

Perry has plenty of leadership experience at domestic level, particularly at the Sydney Sixers. However, it would appear unlikely at this stage that she would get the chance to captain Australia.

It could all rest on the severity of Healy’s injury.

Going into such an important tour in India, if the Aussies are without Healy and Lanning they could turn to the most experienced member of their team in Perry to help guide them through.

Originally published as Life after Lanning: Will Australia turn to experience or look to the future for their next women’s captain?