Meg Lanning has opened up about adjusting to life away from the busy international cricket schedule, her plans for the future and the work she is doing to improve as a batter. Speaking in a broadcast interview with Sky Sports, the former Australia captain explained how freedom between competitions having more has changed the way she prepares, trains and approaches her cricket career.
Lanning admitted that getting used to the off-season has taken some time. During her international career, she was used to having a clear schedule and knowing exactly what was coming next. Now, she has periods when she is not involved in cricket and can decide how to spend her time. The change has meant learning when to prepare, when to train and when to simply switch off.
“(Off-season activity) It’s taken me a while to get used to it because you’re so used to the international schedule, where you know exactly what it’s going to look like and the structure is right there. For me, every decision I made was based on how I could get the best out of myself in that environment. Now, there are chunks of time where I’m not involved in cricket and I get to make decisions for myself and do what I want.”
The extra freedom has also helped Lanning become more focused during training. Instead of following a strict programme throughout the year, she can now work on specific parts of her game and make every session more useful. Her recent time playing for Lancashire, followed by a break in Europe and then preparation for her next cricket assignment, has given her a different experience.
“It’s been good to be over here playing with Lancs, take a few weeks off to travel to Europe, and then come back to prep for this. It’s unusual for me because I’m not that good at switching off, so I’m still getting used to it. But it’s actually made me more purposeful with my training.”
Lanning also spoke about how long she plans to continue playing cricket. Rather than setting a fixed retirement date, she said her future will depend on two important things: whether she is still contributing to her team and whether she continues to enjoy the game.
“(Deadline for your career) I hadn’t thought about that, to be honest. Two things will dictate it: am I still contributing, and am I still enjoying it? My job as a batter is to contribute and make an impact on the game. As long as I’m still doing that and enjoying it, I’m going to keep playing. For the moment, hopefully those two things are still in play.”
The former Australia captain has also spent the past six months working on adding new skills to her batting. With the women’s game changing quickly, Lanning believes players cannot depend only on the methods that made them successful in the past. She wants to remain a player who can influence matches and help her team win.
“That’s certainly been a focus of mine over the last six months; adding a couple more things to my game. With the way the game is moving, you can’t stand still and expect what you’ve always done to keep you dominating, which is what I want to do. I don’t want to just come to tournaments and be a bit-part player; I want to continue to contribute to wins and have an impact with the bat, so I’ve been working on a few things.”
Lanning’s approach shows that, despite being at a different stage of her career, her ambition remains strong. She is still looking for ways to improve, stay effective and make a real difference whenever she takes the field.
She also shared a light-hearted moment about trying bowling during training, quickly making it clear that she has no plans to become a bowler. “I think those days are past. It was very slippery! I didn’t know where it was going, but if I didn’t know, then how would the batter? Bowling won’t be on the cards.”
For now, Lanning remains focused on becoming a better batter, enjoying her cricket and making the most of the freedom that comes with life outside the international schedule. Her comments show that while her career has entered a new phase, her desire to perform, contribute to wins and keep improving remains as strong as ever.
(Quotes sourced from Sky Sports)
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