Australia captain Meg Lanning is delighted with her team's record 18th one-day international win in a row, but it's only made her side hungry for more.
Australia have been dominant in ODIs, sweeping series against India, Pakistan, New Zealand, England, West Indies and Sri Lanka since March 2018. The latest win, an eight-wicket demolition of Sri Lanka on Wednesday, 9 October, took them past the previous women's ODI record streak of 17 wins, set by Belinda Clark's Australian side in 1999.
Her team's accomplishment was a "special" one, Lanning acknowledged, even as she urged her side to set new standards.
Australia in Women's ODIs since March 2018:
— ICC (@ICC) October 9, 2019
🇮🇳 ➝ 𝓦
🇮🇳 ➝ 𝓦
🇮🇳 ➝ 𝓦
🇵🇰 ➝ 𝓦
🇵🇰 ➝ 𝓦
🇵🇰 ➝ 𝓦
🇳🇿 ➝ 𝓦
🇳🇿 ➝ 𝓦
🇳🇿 ➝ 𝓦
🏴 ➝ 𝓦
🏴 ➝ 𝓦
🏴 ➝ 𝓦
🌴 ➝ 𝓦
🌴 ➝ 𝓦
🌴 ➝ 𝓦
🇱🇰 ➝ 𝓦
🇱🇰 ➝ 𝓦
🇱🇰 ➝ 𝓦
Unstoppable.#AUSvSL | @AusWomenCricket pic.twitter.com/VwFLvmFWWT
"She [Clark] sent me a message and said that her team lost only two games out of 33, so we need to keep going," said Lanning after the win. "We've got one record, but we need to make sure that we keep going.
"Everyone has put in a lot of hard work to get to this point. To be able to take the record off a Belinda Clark team is certainly very special, because there have been some amazing cricketers to come before us and we speak a lot about making sure we look back into the past and understand what has come before us," she added. "They certainly laid the foundation for where we are today so it's important that we recognise that."
Belinda Clark congratulates @AusWomenCricket for breaking the record of 17 straight ODI wins previously held by her team in the late ‘90s 🙌 pic.twitter.com/hDP14MaNxs
— Cricket Australia (@CricketAus) October 9, 2019
Lanning said the record wasn't on her team's mind on Wednesday, and they always "go into every game to try and win it".
"I know there's been a lot of talk in the media about the record, but I can honestly say that within our group we haven't really spoken about it," she said. "We go into every game to try and win it, so it was no different today. I thought that everyone did a great job, the bowlers especially and then Midge [Alyssa Healy] and Rach [Rachael Haynes] with the bat."
Disciplined bowling and an Alyssa Healy masterclass led Australia to a record win in Brisbane, beating Sri Lanka by nine wickets in the final #AUSvSL ODI.
— ICC (@ICC) October 9, 2019
REPORT 👇https://t.co/sV9SPc2QOh
Australia put up an all-round performance in the final ODI. The bowlers restricted Sri Lanka to 195/8, which the hosts chased down in just 26.5 overs. Healy and Haynes put on a brilliant 155-run opening stand. Healy was exceptional, blazing her way to a 76-ball 112 while Haynes made 59.
Reflecting on her match-winning hundred, Healy said, "It was a great way to finish the series. We were looking to get a good win on the board and for me, it was about going out there and playing with freedom.
What a moment for Alyssa Healy! 💯 #AUSvSL pic.twitter.com/TM9eojJudW
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) October 9, 2019
"I thought our bowlers did a really good job in keeping them to that total and I just wanted to get out there and enjoy myself, express myself and I did that.
"For me personally when I'm hitting the ball down the ground, I know I'm playing well and that was the real focus of mine," she added. "And obviously when one came off in the second over it was sort of like a monkey off my back and I was ready to go."
Personalise your homepage with an ICC account
News, fixtures and updates tailored to your favourite team. Never miss a moment!
Trending News
-
1
1 ICC announces altered points system for World Test Championship
The International Cricket Council (ICC) today confirmed the ICC World Test Championship points system will be amended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
-
2 'Historic, unbelievable, and exemplary' – India conquer The Gabba
-
3 England gain crucial WTC points after clinical win
-
4 Scenarios: All to play for in the ICC World Test Championship
-
5 Rishabh Pant leads brilliant India to historic win at the Gabba