Australia skipper Lanning feels refreshed after her break from cricket’s structures

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Australia women’s captain Meg Lanning, who stayed away from cricket after guiding Australia to Commonwealth gold medal triumph last year has said that her break gave her a chance to feel normal in her time away from the game.

While speaking to ESPNcricinfo 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, 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 be able to feel normal, have a bit less structure around what I was doing. Having done that, I feel really refreshed and ready to go.”

Lanning, who will return to international cricket after a five-month hiatus, also added that she would love to keep 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.”

During her break, she spent time travelling and also worked in a cafe making coffee and doing dishes which gave her a different perspective to things.

She said, “Gave me a bit of 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.”

Lanning will be seen leading the Australia women’s side against Pakistan in a three-match One-Day International (ODIs) series, which will kick off in Brisbane on Monday, January 16.