Champion skipper Lanning re-signs with Stars

Meg Lanning, who has just become the most successful captain in international cricket history, has re-signed with the Melbourne Stars until the end of the Weber WBBL|11 season.

The Aussie skipper, who helped Australia secure another T20 World Cup title last month to become the most prolific captain at ICC tournaments at five, did not play at WBBL|08 for personal reasons.

But when they returned to the game in January and guided the Australian women to a sixth overall title under her leadership, the stars announced Lanning would be green again for another three years.

The 30-year-old made her debut for the Stars in the inaugural season of the women’s Big Bash and captained them in her first two campaigns before joining the Perth Scorchers.

She then returned to Melbourne for WBBL|06 and is now the club’s all-time all-time run scorer with 1,805 and a 34 average.

Despite conquering the international stage, Lanning and the Stars have yet to win a WBBL trophy and the right-hander said it was a key reason behind her decision to re-join the club.

“I’ve been lucky enough to have a lot of team wins in my career, but I haven’t had ultimate success in the WBBL yet, which is a huge motivating factor for me,” said Lanning.

“Although it didn’t make it to the finals last year, it was great to see this young, exciting group grow over the course of the tournament.

“This team has huge potential and I can’t wait for WBBL|09 to get underway.”

After missing the top four for a second consecutive season, Melbourne Stars general manager Blair Crouch was thrilled to secure the signature of one of cricket’s most revered figures to propel the club back into the finals.

“We are delighted to welcome Meg back to WBBL|09 and it is a great vote of confidence that she is committed to the club through the end of WBBL|11,” he said.

“Meg is one of the best-known cricketers of her generation and our young team will benefit greatly from her knowledge and experience.

“Her leadership skills are second to none and I’m sure all of our members and fans can’t wait to see her back in green.”

Lanning was also named captain of the Delhi Capitals in the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League which began on Sunday.

After being signed by the Capitals for A$193,000 in last month’s draft, Lanning’s side started their campaign by beating Royal Challengers Bangalore, with the Victorian starring on 72 balls from 43 balls.

Delhi have eight regular-season games in which each of the other four teams plays twice before the competition culminates in the final on March 27.