ICC Women's World Cup: Meg Lanning, the wonder girl of women's cricket

It seldom happens in the history of the game that a player records the second highest ever individual score in a league match of the World Cup and unfortunately ends up on the losing side. The league contest of the ICC Women’s World Cup involving the tournament favourites and defending champions Australia and Sri Lanka was touted to be a fairly one-sided contest with the Aussies expected to dominate the proceedings.

However, the cricket frenzy fans all around the world were in for a surprise as Chamari Atapattu etched her name in the record books by scoring a marvellous unbeaten knock of 178 to guide the Sri Lankan team to a massive total of 257 runs in the first innings.

And, just as this masterclass came to an end after the completion of the stipulated overs, the social media went abuzz appreciating this incredible achievement from one of the greats of Sri Lankan cricket.

Little did they know, a few minutes later, the wonder girl from Australia, Meg Lanning walked in to take centre stage for her nation in pursuit of the target. And the rest, as they say, is history as the Australian skipper notched up her 11th One Day International hundred and made a mockery of the run chase by romping home with eight wickets.

En route this masterclass, in just her 59th game for the country, the right-handed batter surpassed the heavyweights of men’s cricket to achieve the rare feat of becoming the fastest player to score 11 ODI hundreds.

Scintillating start to her international career

By sheer weight of her domestic performances, Lanning was drafted into the Australian squad for the series against New Zealand. Making her debut in the shortest format of the game at Rose Bowl, the stylish right-hander was unfortunately dismissed early in the innings, though Australia registered a comprehensive four-wicket victory.

At the tender age of 18, the failure of the debut game did not affect her as she returned stronger and scored an unbeaten century against England in only her second ODI game. This match-winning knock of 103 runs resulted in the teenager becoming the youngest player to score a century for the Australian team.

With plenty of runs under her belt, Lanning transformed from being a rookie in the team to one of the mainstays in the lineup of the Aussies. She was touted to be one of the front-runners to carry the legacy of Australian cricket, post the retirement of Jodie Fields.

Leader of the pack

Meg Lanning led the Australian team to the World T-20 title in Bangladesh

One of the most matured players on the women’s circuit, Lanning was at the helm of affairs for the Southern Stars in their successful campaign of the ICC Women’s World T-20 held in Bangladesh.

In 2015, she was at the forefront of the Ashes campaign for the Aussies, and under her astute leadership, the team registered their first ever series win on the English soil since 2001.The youngster has evolved herself as the leader of the pack and emerged as one of the greatest players to lead the Australian outfit.

However, the team could not replicate the heroics of their last World T-20 campaign as two years later, they faltered in the summit clash against the Windes at Eden Gardens.

A milestone to cherish

During the victorious campaign of the Aussies in the 2014 edition of the World Cup, Lanning recorded a special milestone en route her blitzkrieg knock against Ireland. In a league match, the Singapore-born player scored 126 runs in 65 balls to set the Sylhet Cricket Stadium alight with her fireworks. This stunning effort with the bat is the highest score by any player in the shortest format of the game.

Records keep tumbling

The first Woman cricketer to score 10 One Day International hundreds

The number one ranked batter in the world achieved yet another milestone earlier this year as she scored a match-winning century against the White Ferns on the third match of the series at Bay Oval in New Zealand. Chasing 270 runs in the deciding game, the 25-year-old scored an unbeaten 104 to ensure a well deserved five-wicket win for her team. The century also marked a new beginning in the women’s cricket as it was the 10th hundred for Lanning, the most by any player in the history of the game.

A stern test awaits the superstar

The formidable Australian outfit enters the eleventh edition of the ICC Women’s World Cup as the defending champions. With this showpiece event being the first real test for Lanning at the international arena, it will be interesting to see how well she can marshal her troops in the bowling department, especially after below par performances in the initial two matches.

As this iconic tournament nears the business end, her leadership skills and the batting prowess will define the fortunes of the team from down under.