After her captain revealed why she retired, Ellyse Perry praised Meg Lanning's "incredible bravery". Lanning, known as the finest women's hitter, retired from the national squad at 31 in November.
After two pauses in 2022 and 2023, Australia's long-time captain's decision to retire hit hard. Lanning, who is private, revealed last month that she left due to "an unhealthy relationship" with fitness and food.
"As a teammate of Meg's, first and foremost, the whole team is just incredibly supportive of her and hope very much that her welfare is OK - her wellbeing, that's the most important thing," Perry said at Cricket Australia's girls and women action plan unveiling at the MCG.
"Talking about those things is gutsy of her. "She probably hopes this helps others with similar issues. This is heartbreaking to hear as a teammate, knowing that someone you've played with for so long has struggled.
"At the same time, I really hope she's doing well and has access to the appropriate care that she needs." Nick Hockley thinks Lanning's departure has "strong lessons" for Cricket Australia.
"The professionalisation (of women's cricket) that we've talked about has happened relatively quickly over the last 10 years," said Hockley. We want to give our great athletes and workers the best support from national and state support networks.
"So hopefully here are some really strong lessons in that for everybody and I just commend her leadership."Action plan mentions "holistic support" for physical, mental, and off-field skill development.
Former Australia opener Nicole Bolton, who had a mental health vacation in 2018, warned of cricketers' rising responsibilities when she retired in 2022.
Glenn Maxwell, Nic Maddinson, Will Pucovski, and Ashton Agar each took long vacations due to mental health issues. To match the 10-round men's competition, CA announced a 16-match WBBL reduction to 40.
The WBBL will play more games in stadiums over the next decade after testing them last season. The 10-year strategy for female cricket by CA includes capturing gold medals in 2028 and 2032 when cricket becomes an Olympic sport.
Aiming for 40% female representation in key positions across Australian cricket, $500 million will be invested in women and girls' cricket infrastructure.