Do we like them?

Do we like Meg Lanning?

Our score: 8 out of 10. Nothing harmful found and a long record of community work, but the record on her views is thin, so not a 10.

Meg Lanning is one of the best batters Australian cricket has produced, and she got there the hard way. She came up through boys-only teams, then made a century against England at the WACA at 18 in only her second game for Australia.

She went on to captain the national side and was part of the 2020 T20 World Cup run on home soil, with the final against India at the MCG. Retired from international cricket in late 2023, she has since stayed in the game through franchise leagues.

The scandal file is empty. Searches for accusations, lawsuits, fines or court action turned up nothing at all against her, so there's no story to tell there, and we won't invent one.

On the harm check, we found no comments about trans people, women's rights, migrants, climate or vaccines from her, and no history of working with anyone pushing harm. That's a gap in the record rather than a clean bill of health. Her one on-the-record stance is a pro-women one: in 2014, when some fans threatened to boycott Channel Nine over her being named a commentator, she called it “a good next step for females within cricket.”

The latest chapter is a freelancer's life. She ditched the Victoria deal in May 2026, has signed with Lancashire for the Vitality Blast and was picked up by Manchester Super Giants for The Hundred. Cricket Victoria's women's head said it supported her decision.

The good stuff is real. She was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2022 for service to women's cricket, and her old school's Carey Medal citation lists work with the Alannah and Madeline Foundation, Zaidee's Rainbow Foundation, CARE Australia and others. Former Cricket Australia boss James Sutherland said she “speaks up, stands up”.