Australia captain Meg Lanning has announced her international retirement, saying she no longer has the “spark to do what needs to happen at this level”.
As captain, Lanning led Australia to 50-over World Cup glory in 2022 and also won four T20 World Cups and Commonwealth Games gold.
She is the second-highest run-scorer in women’s T20 internationals.
“I feel like now I’ve got nothing left to achieve on the international stage,” Lanning, 31, said.
Lanning made her international debut in 2010 aged 18 and became the youngest Australian to make a century with her unbeaten 103 against England in a one-day international.
She was part of the Australia side who won the T20 World Cup in 2012 and the 50-over title in 2013 before being appointed captain in February 2014, aged just 21.
“I no longer have the spark or the motivation to do what needs to happen at this level and so for me it is time to move on,” Lanning said.
“I can’t be half-in or half-out with anything and I guess that’s where I’ve landed with this decision.
“I’ve achieved so much within the game and been lucky enough to have such a successful career and be part of very successful teams.
Lanning scored 17 centuries across six Tests, 103 ODIs and 132 T20Is, averaging 53.21 in one-day games.
She led Australia in 182 of her 241 appearances, scoring a combined total of 8,352 runs across all three formats, including 17 centuries.
She missed this year’s Ashes tour of England for medical reasons.
Her absence from the tour of England followed a break from cricket for her mental health in 2022, before she returned in February 2023 to lead her side to victory at the T20 World Cup.
“It’s been my life essentially for 13 years, and I know nothing other than that,” Lanning said.
“I’ve learned so much and had so many incredible opportunities to do that, and I’m sad that it’s finishing up but I’m very much ready for something new.
“It’s time to move on and go on and experience other things other than playing cricket which I’m really excited about.”
Lanning will continue to play in domestic competitions, including the ongoing Women’s Big Bash League with the Melbourne Stars, and for Victoria in the Women’s National Cricket League.
