Australia skipper Meg Lanning feels refreshed after her break

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 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.