Australia cricket captain Meg Lanning has opened the door for Ash Barty if she wants to play cricket again. The 30-year-old led her side to victory at the Cricket World Cup this weekend, defeating England by 71 runs.
Barty made history by capturing the Australian Open title in January and became the first Aussie woman to do so since Chris O'Neil in 1978. But, last month, the former No.1 shocked the world by announcing she would be retiring from tennis aged just 25.
With many keen to see what Barty does next, the star batsman, with Barty’s history as a cricketer in mind, would love to line up alongside the three-time grand slam champion. “If she wants to come and have another crack at cricket (we) would certainly be interested in talking to her," Lanning said.
“She was pretty good last time she played. She seems very talented at most things she does. Let’s see what happens.”
All-rounder Ellyse Perry also shared her thoughts on Barty’s future and if a return to the cricket field is on the cards.
“There’s a general expectation you’ll play for an extended period of time and go for as long as you possibly can. That’s the norm,” Perry said. “She genuinely tends to buck the norm a little bit and do what’s best for her which is just really cool.”
She continued: “It sounds like golf is in with a better chance (than cricket). It’d be really nice for her to be able to do what she wants to do.
“There’s speculation around what sport she’s going to play next or what she’s going to do. Hopefully, she just gets to find that out for herself and do exactly what she’s got planned.” In late 2014, Barty decided to take an indefinite break from tennis and during her hiatus, she signed with the Brisbane Heat and participated in the inaugural Women's Big Bash League season.
During her bombshell announcement, Barty said she was leaving the sport to pursue other life goals. “I’m so happy and I'm so ready,” she said to Casey Dellacqua in an interview. "And I just know at the moment in my heart, for me as a person, this is right.
“I know I’ve done this before but in a very different feeling. I’m so grateful to everything that tennis has given me. It’s given me all of my dreams, plus more, but I know that the time is right now for me to step away and chase other dreams and to put the rackets down." Whether those life goals involve a return to cricket remains to be seen, and if she does, Barty certainly has the backing from the skipper of the national team.
