New Delhi, March 12 (IANS) The most successful captain in the history of women's cricket, Meg Lanning, believes that the Australian side is entering an exciting new phase following the retirement of veteran wicketkeeper-batter Alyssa Healy from international cricket.

Healy brought the curtain down on her decade-long international career after Australia’s victory over India in a multi-format series. The wicketkeeper-batter led the side in the ODIs and the one-off Test at the WACA Ground. Under her leadership, Australia swept the ODI series 3-0 and secured a dominant ten-wicket win in the pink-ball Test.

Following Healy’s retirement, all-rounder Sophie Molineux has been appointed as the new captain of the side. She had earlier led Australia during the T20I series against India, which Healy missed, though the hosts went down 2-1.

Despite the setback in the T20Is, Lanning expressed strong belief in Molineux’s leadership and highlighted the presence of several promising players in the squad, including Phoebe Litchfield and Annabel Sutherland, who are expected to play key roles going forward.

"I think it's a really exciting time for the Australian team. Obviously, with Alyssa Healy moving on now and Soph taking over. You've got players like George Vole, Phoebe Litchfield and Annabel Sutherland who have done quite well in their careers already, but now they get the chance to be the main parts of that team and really take control of what it looks like moving forward," Lanning told ESPNcricinfo.

"We know they've got a lot of talent, so they get the chance to show that a little bit more now. While it might look a little bit different, I think it's really exciting," She added.

Meanwhile, Lanning has been named the new captain of the Manchester Super Giants in The Hundred 2026. Lanning has a great record as captain; under her leadership, Australia has won five ICC titles.

--IANS

sds/bc