Meg Lanning, the captain of Australia, is optimistic
that she still has some strong cricket in her, but she has declined to be
interviewed about her availability for the next tour of India.
Lanning is back in action ahead of the Melbourne
Stars’ WBBL season after being forced to miss the Ashes in England earlier this
year due to health issues. The 31-year-old chose not to go into further detail
about her second prolonged absence from the sport in the last two years.
Lanning did not play in Australia’s most recent home
series against the West Indies, but he might travel to India in December for a
historic day-night Test in Mumbai.
“I haven’t thought that far ahead [about
India],” Lanning said on Tuesday in her first media appearance for more
than six months.
“I’m back playing some cricket, which is nice.
“I’m really enjoying it, and I still feel like I
have a little bit more to give, but what exactly that looks like, I’m not
sure.”
As for returning to captain Australia, Lanning said
she had not “really got that far”.
“I’m just worrying about this next couple of
weeks with the Stars,” she said.
After Australia won the gold medal at the Birmingham
Commonwealth Games last year, Lanning briefly took a hiatus from the sport
before making a comeback for the home series against Pakistan in January.
Prior to once again taking a leave of absence on the
eve of the Ashes due to illness, she had guided Australia to victory at the
Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa in February.
At North Sydney Oval on Thursday night, Lanning’s
Stars will play their first WBBL game against the Sydney Sixers.