Meg Lanning reached her century with a six in the 17th over (Source: Reuters)Australia’s T20I skipper Meg Lanning, who broke the record for highest individual score in women T20I cricket on Friday, scored an unbeaten 63-ball 133 at County Chelmsford in the first T20I of Women Ashes 2019. Lanning broke the joint-record for highest individual score held by her and Netherlands’ Sterre Kalis.
The 27-year-old reached her century with a maximum in the 17th over. On course to her century, she went past West Indies’ Deandra Dottin and India’s Mithali Raj to become the fourth-highest run-scorer in T20Is. She has 2,448 runs from 86 matches.
Lanning’s record-breaking 133 is also the fifth-highest individual score in both men and women T20Is. Her innings was studded with 17 fours and seven sixes. It was her second T20I hundred equalling Dottin and Danielle Wyatt’s tally of T20I hundreds.
She helped Australia post a mammoth total of 226 for three, their highest T20I total. Australia’s 226 is the fifth-highest total in the history of women’s T20I cricket. Also, the highest total against England in T20Is.
The hosts had a bad start to chasing as both their openers Wyatt and Amy Allen Jones got out for a duck. They managed to score 133 for 9 in 20 overs and fell short of Australia’s total by a huge margin of 93 runs. This was England’s biggest loss in terms of runs.
So far, Australia have dominated England by winning the three-ODI series by a whitewash and drawing the only Test. There are two more T20Is left to be played on July 28 and July 31.
