It’s been a month since Meg Lanning, the stalwart of the Australian Women’s Cricket, announced her retirement from international cricket.
To fill up her place, an old name came into the squad, Lauren Cheatle, and now she has made her Test debut right away.
Lauren is a right-arm fast bowler and is known for her speed. She was also the youngest New South Wales cricketer to have been included in the national team as she was just 17 when she made her international debut.
Well, how that name is old though? Back in 2016, when Lauren was a mere 17-year-old teen, she made her debut in India in the T20I series and was also a part of the Women’s T20I World Cup, which happened the same year and in India only.
Then what kept her away from this beloved sport for all these years?
After playing four ODIs and seven T20Is, her career took a toll because of her own body, as she had surgery for a right shoulder reconstruction, after that, she suffered a back injury, and then she had left shoulder reconstruction and surgery on her biceps too.
Missing out on game time and being sidely watching the sport was hard on her, but that was the only motivation to work towards it as well. In 2021, she also identified skin cancer as she found a lump in her shin. She underwent surgery and made a comeback to the game in 2022.
Making a comeback, she managed to scalp 16 wickets in the Women’s Big Bash League 2022 and had a great time on the field.
The year 2023 was her year as she delivered some notable performances for Australia A and finished as the joint-highest wicket-taker for Sydney Sixers in the recently concluded WBBL 2023, taking 21 wickets.
She got included in the tour where it all started for her, i.e. India, and got to wear the baggy green for the first time, which made her cricketing career and Christmas merrier. Her life came a full circle when the Australian stalwart Ellyse Perry handed over her the Baggy Green for the one-off Test against India.
With three days left in the game, she will put her soul into the game to make this a memorable debut.
Being just 25 now, Lauren Cheatle is just getting started and has a wonderful journey ahead of her.
With a new feather to her career, she has made an inspirational comeback to the side, and her name will go down in history as one of the greats joining the likes of Yuvraj Singh and a few others.
Image source– Australia Women’s Cricket on X/ Twitter
Lauren Cheatle’s game is so exciting because she’s constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in the gaming industry. Her attention to detail and dedication to creating truly immersive experiences is inspiring. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!