Commonwealth Games gold medallist Meg Lanning to continue her indefinite break from cricket

Commonwealth Games gold medallist and Australia captain Meg Lanning will continue her indefinite break from cricket and miss the upcoming Women’s Big Bash League.

Lanning, who plays for Melbourne Stars, announced her indefinite break on August 10 earlier this year. The 30-year-old last played during the Commonwealth Games, where Australia emerged as winners.

The WBBL franchise in a statement said: “Melbourne Stars Captain Meg Lanning will continue her indefinite break from cricket and will not play for the Melbourne Stars in WBBL|08. The club respects her decision and asks that her privacy continue to be respected.”

With Lanning missing WBBL and no timeline set for her return, it is to be seen whether she will return to lead Australia in the series against India in December. Meanwhile, her deputy Rachael Haynes, who was seen as a potential stand-in captain in the absence of Lanning, recently announced her retirement.

Lanning was scheduled to play in England’s The Hundred competition but Cricket Australia confirmed that she pulled out of the second edition of the 100-ball tournament.

Earlier in a Cricket Australia statement, Lanning said: “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.”

Lanning has led Australia to complete their treble, with glory at the T20 World Cup 2020, ODI World Cup 2022 and Commonwealth Games 2022. Lanning also captained Australia to win the T20 World Cup in 2014 and 2018.