Meg Lanning, the women’s captain of Australia, claimed that her hiatus allowed her to feel normal during her time away from the sport after leading Australia to a Commonwealth gold medal victory last year.
She said, “initially I wasn’t too sure how it was going to pan out. I just wanted to switch off from cricket, get away a little bit, and give myself a bit of time to think and work out where I just wanted to be. Became pretty clear that I still wanted to play cricket and loved the game, just needed some time to able to feel normal, and have a bit less structure around what I was doing. Having done that, I feel really refreshed and ready to go.” After a five-month break from international cricket, Lanning said she would like to continue playing as much as she can.
The 30-year-old Aussie skipper added, “I feel I’ve got a lot left in the game, both from an individual point of view and with the team. I am not sure what the future holds but would certainly love to keep playing as long as I can.” She traveled during her break and worked in a cafe pouring coffee and doing dishes, which let her see things from a different angle.
She said, “Gave me a bit of a different perspective on things. Just going in and not knowing what the day will look like- could be busy, could be quiet- and having different conversations with the customers, actually found that really cool. Having that little bit of freedom, a little less structure, going with the flow a little more, not getting too worried about things. Working at the cafe allowed me to do that and had a lot of fun.” A three-match One-Day International (ODI) series between Australia and Pakistan will begin on Monday, January 16, in Brisbane, with Lanning serving as the team’s captain.
