Cricket: Meg Lanning opens up about struggle with food and exercise that led to her early retirement

Former Australia cricket captain Meg Lanning – celebrated for steering her team to a historic five Twenty20 World Cup victories – revealed that she had been grappling with “an unhealthy relationship” involving food and exercise, which led to her early retirement.

Lanning shared her ordeal, revealing a pattern of consuming only two “insignificant” meals daily despite engaging in strenuous physical activity which included running up to 90 kilometers per week.

While refraining from labeling her restricted eating habits as indicative of an eating disorder, she conceded to being in denial about seeking help.

“It sort of just spiralled and I was in denial, even though everyone kept telling me something wasn't quite right,” Lanning told The Howie Games podcast.

“I was not in a place to be able to go on tour and play cricket and give the commitment levels required for that Ashes series, mentally and physically.”

‘It became an obsession’

Following the Commonwealth Games in 2022, the 32-year-old embarked on a six-month hiatus from cricket, distancing herself from the sport and instead, worked at a local coffee shop.

After the break, she returned to lead Australia to yet another T20 World Cup title in February 2023. However, she withdrew from the Ashes tournament the following year due to undisclosed medical reasons.

“I felt very out of...

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