Meg Lanning named Wisden’s leading woman cricketer

LONDON: Australia´s Meg Lanning has been named as the Leading Cricketer in the World in the 2015 Wisden Cricketers´ Almanack.

She has been chosen as the cricket ´bible´s´ inaugural Leading Woman Cricketer in the World -- the first time the England-based annual has bestowed such an award in 152 editions of continuous publication dating back to 1864.

Lanning, who at the age of 21 became the youngest person ever to captain Australia, led her side to the World Twenty20 title and finished 2014 at the top of both the women´s one-day international and Twenty20 batting rankings.

Wisden´s Five Cricketers of the Year is an award dating back to 1889 and is generally based on a player´s performances in the preceding English season.

By tradition, it can only be won once in a career and the 2015 list included Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews, England rising stars Moeen Ali and Gary Ballance and two notable county players in Adam Lyth and Jeetan Patel. (AFP)