ICC Women”s ODI Rankings: Meg Lanning tops the batters” chart: With a tally of 1,878 runs, featuring in 42 games (remaining unbeaten on 2 occasions), at an average of 46.95 with 135* as her individual best, with 6 centuries and 9 half-centuries, Meghann Moira ‘Meg’ Lanning of Australia is sitting pretty at the top of the ICC Women’s ODI Player Ranking Chart with 796 points to her credit.
Lanning made her domestic debut for Victorian Spirit in December 2008 and notched up her first century in October 2011, scoring 127 runs off just 123 deliveries against Queensland Fire.
10th November, 2012, saw Lanning break the record for the highest individual score in the Women”s National Cricket League. She went on to score 175 runs from 142 deliveries against the ACT Meteors. She rewrote the record that was set by Karen Rolton (173 runs).
Eight days later, she put on an unbeaten 241* runs off just 136 deliveries for Box Hill Cricket Club in the Victorian Women”s Cricket Association, the highest individual score in Women”s Premier First”s Cricket.
Lanning made her T20I debut against New Zealand on 30th December, 2010, in the Rose Bowl tournament. Since then she has featured in 58 games (57 innings) scoring a total of 1,604 runs at an average of 31.45 with 126 being her highest individual score. She has strike rate of an impressive 118.46 with 1 century and 6 half-centuries to her credit.
Though Lanning led Australia to a 1-2 defeat against the visiting Indian Women’s team, she scored 87 runs in three innings with a score of 49 runs.
In the ICC Women’s World T20 2014, Lanning created ripples by scoring 126 runs from just 65 deliveries with 18 fours and 4 sixes. This stands as the record for the highest individual score in women’s international.
She also won the ICC Women’s T20 Cricketer of the Year Award in 2014.
The right-handed batswoman made her ODI debut against England at Perth in January 2011.
In her second international outing she notched up her maiden ODI century. Opening the batting, she put on 104 runs off 118 deliveries with 8 fours and a six. She was also involved in a 151-run partnership in 32.1 overs with her opening partner, Shelly Nitschke (70). Her innings helped Australia win the match by 9 wickets with 51 deliveries remaining.
At 18 years and 288 days she was the youngest ever centurion for Australia. She rewrote the record of former Aussie skipper, Ricky Ponting who scored his maiden century at the age of 21 years and 21 days.
Lanning at 21, became the youngest to lead Australia when she was handed over the reins in January 2014.
Recently she led Australia to a 2-1 victory over India in the three-match ODI series played Down Under. She scored 131 runs from three games that included a half-century.
Lanning won the Belinda Clark Award for 2014 and 2015. She also won the ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year 2015 and Wisden Leading Women Cricketer in the World 2015.
Meg Lanning also has represented Australia in 3 Test matches and has scored 107 runs.
