Meg Lanning’s Absence Continues as Alyssa Healy Leads Australia Against West Indies

Australia’s Meg Lanning to Miss Home Series Against West Indies; Alyssa Healy to Lead

In a recent announcement, Cricket Australia has revealed that Meg Lanning, the regular captain of the Australian Women’s cricket team, will not be returning for the upcoming T20I and ODI series against the West Indies next month. Alyssa Healy will once again step into the role of captain, with all-rounder Tahlia McGrath serving as vice-captain. Cricket Australia unveiled a 13-player squad for the white-ball series against the West Indies.

Lanning had been sidelined from the Ashes series in May and also missed the subsequent ODI series in Ireland due to medical reasons. She continues to be unavailable for selection as per the guidance of Cricket Australia’s medical team.

Alyssa Healy, who had been recovering from a broken finger that kept her out of Australia’s last ODI against Ireland in August, returns as the captain. Additionally, Ellyse Perry, who also missed the last ODI against Ireland due to a knee injury, has been included in the squad and is expected to make her return.

Cricket Australia issued a statement, saying, “Healy (finger injury) and Ellyse Perry (knee injury) both missed the third ODI against Ireland due to injury but are expected to be fully available for the West Indies series. Meg Lanning remains unavailable for selection as determined by Cricket Australia’s medical team.”

Dr. Pip Inge, the Australian Women’s Team Doctor, provided an update, stating, “Meg is progressing well but remains unavailable for competitive cricket. No date has been set for Meg’s return to play; however, we anticipate a gradual return through domestic cricket. CA medical staff will continue to work closely with Meg, and an update on her availability will be provided in due course.”

The back-to-back series against the West Indies will be held in Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne, commencing with the first T20I at North Sydney Oval on October 1. This marks the first time that the reigning world champions will compete on home soil since their victory in the 2023 T20 World Cup and the retention of the Women’s Ashes.

The only change in the squad between formats is the inclusion of Alana King for the ODIs, replacing batter Grace Harris at the conclusion of the T20Is.

Australia Squad:

• Alyssa Healy (Captain)
• Tahlia McGrath (Vice-Captain)
• Darcie Brown
• Ashleigh Gardner
• Kim Garth
• Grace Harris (T20Is only)
• Jess Jonassen
• Alana King (ODIs only)
• Phoebe Litchfield
• Beth Mooney
• Ellyse Perry
• Megan Schutt
• Annabel Sutherland
• Georgia Wareham

T20I Series Schedule:

• First T20: October 1, Sydney
• Second T20: October 2, Sydney
• Third T20: October 5, Brisbane

ODI Series Schedule:

• First ODI: October 8, Brisbane
• Second ODI: October 12, Melbourne
• Third ODI: October 14, Melbourne