Matthew Mott,Meg Lanning and Rachael Haynes after their World Cup victory. Mott has moved to England,Haynes retired and Lanning is on indefinite leave.Credit:Getty Images
Lanning,though,is highly unlikely to have enjoyed enough of a break before the tournament begins,havingstepped away from the game in August following an ODI World Cup triumph in New Zealand and then Commonwealth Games gold in Birmingham.
Sources close to Lanning indicated toThe Age andThe Sydney Morning Herald one plausible scenario is that the 30-year-old may decide on reflection that she does not miss the professional game enough to resume her career.
It has been a more or less constant presence in Lanning’s life for 14 years,after making her state debut in 2008 and then graduating to the national team two years later.
Appointed captain of Australia in 2014,Lanning took time to grow into the role,but after winning the T20 World Cup in 2018 in the Caribbean,the team carried on a run of unrivalled success,including a further T20 crown on home soil in 2020,then the ODI and Commonwealth Games double in 2022.
Meg Lanning celebrates after Australia’s World Cup win.Credit:Getty Images
This became the logical end point for numerous key figures in the set-up:first,head coachMatthew Mott departed to become the white ball coach for the England men’s team,and then Lanning’s trusted deputy Rachael Haynes retired from internationals.