SYDNEY: Meg Lanning, who captained Australia’s women’s cricket team to five World Cup triumphs, has retired from the international game after representing her country for 13 years.

The 31-year-old top-order batter won seven world titles in all, as well as Commonwealth Games gold, with the dominant Australia team and scored 8,352 runs in 241 matches over all three formats.

“The decision to step away from international cricket was a difficult one to make but I feel now is the right time for me,” Lanning said in a statement.

“I’ve been incredibly fortunate to enjoy a 13-year international career but I know now is the right time for me to move on to something new.

Lanning made her debut as a teenager in a T20 match against New Zealand in 2010 and the following year scored the first of her 17 career centuries against England in her second ODI.

She had already won the 2012 Women’s T20 World Cup and 2013 50-overs World Cup before she assumed the captaincy in 2014 at the age of 21.

Under her leadership, Australia won 80% of their matches and claimed another 50-overs world crown in 2022 as well as the T20 titles in 2014, 2018, 2020 and 2023.

Published in Dawn, November 10th, 2023