Ahead of the highly anticipated ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, former Australia skipper Meg Lanning has revealed what she feels could be the ideal playing XI for the opening clash against New Zealand. Speaking on the ICC Review show, Lanning shared insights on the balance of the side, the potential batting order, and the challenges of finalising the bowling attack.

Meg Lanning’s Australia XI for the clash against New Zealand

A mix of experience and youth

Lanning started with her preferred opening combination — Alyssa Healy and Phoebe Litchfield. By highlighting this, Lanning pointed out how Healy’s vast experience as a proven match-winner complements Litchfield’s fresh energy and aggressive intent. The duo’s ability to score quickly at the top gives Australia a platform to dominate early in the innings, something Lanning believes is crucial in tournament cricket.

“I think the batting lineup, you’ve got Healy and Litchfield, who have shown over the last little bit that they’re a pretty dynamic partnership up the top there,” she said.

Stability in the middle order

The batting core, according to Lanning, almost sets itself. She backed familiar names like Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, and Ashleigh Gardner to follow the openers. Lanning explained that these players bring both stability and firepower. Perry’s experience ensures calmness in pressure situations, Mooney’s adaptability makes her reliable in both anchor and finishing roles, while Gardner, Sutherland, and McGrath strengthen the side with their all-round skills. Lanning also noted that Mooney’s ability to take up wicketkeeping duties adds flexibility to the team’s structure if required.

“And then the batting lineup sort of takes care of itself in a lot of ways with Perry and Mooney, Ash Gardner, Annabel Sutherland, and Tahlia McGrath sort of rounding all of that out,” she added.

The big challenge: Picking the bowlers

While the batting unit seemed straightforward for Lanning, she admitted that the toughest decision lies in the bowling setup. Lanning stressed that Australia has multiple quality options but choosing the right mix will depend on the conditions. Lanning highlighted the role of young pacer Darcie Brown and she also touched upon Australia’s dual leg-spin option.

“I think the challenge will be picking the bowlers and what sort of lineup they want to go with there. We’ve got Darcie Brown with a little bit more pace, who might be a little bit more effective on some wickets. And then you’ve obviously got the two leg spinners too [Alana King and Georgia Wareham], who they’ve been playing in this series against India, which they have also done in the past, but maybe not so much recently,” added Lanning.

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Conditions will decide the final call

Lanning also clarified that the ultimate decision-making rests on assessing the pitch and match environment. She reckoned flexibility is key, as Australia could lean on spinners if conditions are dry and turning, or prefer pace if seam movement is on offer.

“I think the conditions will play a big part. Is it going to spin a lot? You know, therefore we might play an extra spinner, but if we feel like there’s enough there for the quicks, then you’ve got Darcie Brown and Kim Garth to come in,” Lanning said.

Lanning’s Australia XI for New Zealand game at CWC 2025: Alyssa Healy (wk), Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Ashleigh Gardner, Annabel Sutherland, Tahlia McGrath, Alana King, Georgia Wareham, Darcie Brown, Kim Garth

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This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.