Cricket has seen plenty of great batters and plenty of great captains, but rarely does one player check both boxes as thoroughly as Meg Lanning. From her rise as a teenage prodigy in Melbourne to becoming the most successful captain in Australian women's cricket history, her career offers a masterclass in consistency and leadership. Here are five things that explain why she's regarded as one of the best to ever lead a national team.
1. She won almost everything there was to win
Under Meg Lanning's captaincy, which began in 2014, Australia claimed multiple T20 World Cups, Women's Cricket World Cups, and a Commonwealth Games gold medal. Few captains in the history of the sport — men's or women's — have assembled a trophy cabinet that deep, and even fewer have done it while remaining one of the team's most dependable batters.
2. Her ODI numbers are historically elite
Meg Lanning holds the record for the most ODI centuries by any woman in the format's history, backed by a career batting average that sat comfortably above 50. That kind of consistency over more than a decade is rare in any sport, and it's part of why opposing bowlers considered her one of the toughest wickets to take.
3. She retired from international cricket — but not from cricket
When Meg Lanning stepped away from the international game in November 2023, many assumed her playing days were winding down. Instead, she shifted her focus to global franchise cricket, captaining teams in the WPL, WBBL, and The Hundred, and has stayed remarkably active ever since — proof that retirement, for her, was more of a redirection than an ending.
4. She's still chasing trophies in franchise leagues
In 2026 alone, Meg Lanning captained UP Warriorz in the WPL, played for Lancashire in the Women's Vitality Blast, and led Manchester Super Giants in The Hundred — a packed international schedule for someone technically "retired" from the national team. Across all three competitions, she continued to deliver the kind of steady, high-strike-rate innings that defined her international career.
5. She's already investing in the next generation
Beyond playing, Meg Lanning joined Cricket Australia's coaching staff for the women's U-19 team in early 2026, a sign that her influence on the sport is far from finished — it's just evolving into a new role, shaping the players who will carry her legacy forward.
Put it all together, and it's clear why Meg Lanning's name keeps coming up in conversations about the greatest captains — and players — the women's game has produced.
