Australia captain Meg Lanning will take an indefinite break from the sport for personal reasons, she announced in a statement published by cricket.com.au on Wednesday.
The Lanning-led side won the first women’s cricket gold medal in Commonwealth Games history on Sunday, continuing their dominance in international cricket after becoming the reigning world champions in the 20-over and 50-over formats, in addition to a home Ashes series this year.
The 30-year-old, since making her debut in 2010 has scored 4,463 runs in 100 One Day Internationals, 3,211 runs in 124 T20Is and 345 runs in 6 Tests and has overseen a period of stunning dominance for Australian women’s cricket team.
In a written statement, she wrote: “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. I’m grateful for the support of CA and my teammates and ask that my privacy is respected during this time.”
Additionally, Cricket Australia released a statement fully supporting her decision to take a break from the sport and has no set comeback date for her. Shawn Flegler, CA’s head of performance, women’s cricket was quoted as saying, “We’re proud of Meg for acknowledging that she needs a break and will continue to support her during this time.”
“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.”
He added: “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.”