'Aim is to win gold' - Meg Lanning sets eyes on Commonwealth Games honour

Australia Women captain Meg Lanning aims for the gold medal in the T20 event of the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, which will commence later this month. This is the first time women’s cricket or the T20Is will be a part of the mega event.

Lanning recalled watching swimming and hockey at the Commonwealth Games growing up and admiring Australia’s teamwork across various sports. But she felt that she would never get the chance to partake in the events because cricket was not part of it. Australia, being the defending champions of the T20 World Cup and the ODI World Cup, will go into the Commonwealth Games as one of the gold medal contenders.

“Certainly, the aim is to win gold,” Lanning told the ABC. “I remember watching a lot of the swimming and hockey at the Commonwealth Games growing up and really loving the teamwork of the Australian athletes across a range of sports.”

We are looking to embrace this opportunity: Meg Lanning

“But because cricket was never really a part of it, I didn’t expect to be able to get this chance myself,” said the Australia captain. “As a group, we’re looking to embrace this opportunity because being part of a wider Australian team is new for us, and it might not be something we ever get to do again.”

The ‘Cricket T20’ in Birmingham will commence on July 29, Friday, and the opener will be played between Australia and India. The other teams in the group are Barbados and Pakistan. Group B comprises New Zealand, South Africa, England, and Sri Lanka. The final will be played on August 7 at Edgbaston.

The last time cricket was played in the Commonwealth Games was in 1998 in Kuala Lumpur, and the ODI format was used. South Africa, led by Shaun Pollock, won the gold medal, beating Steve Waugh’s Australia in the finals by four wickets. New Zealand settled for the bronze medal. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has also been in talks to get cricket to the Olympics for Los Angeles in 2028.