COVID-19: Lanning delivers virtual batting class for Ireland eves

Amid the forced break due to COVID-19 pandemic, Australia women's cricket team captain Meg Lanning provided a virtual batting class to Ireland womens cricket squad.

Lanning was joined by former Irish captain Isobel Joyce in a ‘virtual' batting masterclass this week. The session was chaired by Irish women's team head coach Ed Joyce and also featured his Australian counterpart Matthew Mott.

During the masterclass, the duo touched upon a number of topics, including the mental preparation going into a big game, shot selection and an analysis of the Lanning's T20I century against England at Chelmsford last year.

"Any time you can pick the brains of experienced cricketers such as Meg and Isobel is valuable, and I know that our entire squad enjoyed this unique opportunity," Ireland skipper Laura Delany said as per a Cricket Ireland release.

"People often underestimate the mental aspect of the game, and both players spoke about the importance of mental preparation before a game and how to keep a clear mind and focus when on the field.

"Digging into the psychology of a successful sportsperson is an invaluable exercise, and will hopefully benefit many of our squad members who are learning their game and keen to get back out on the field.

"It's frustrating for all of us to be not playing, but the unexpected opportunity of this session is a great offset," she added.

Speaking after the session, Ed said, "It was exceptionally generous of Meg to contribute her time to the session, particularly given that it was the evening in Australia when she joined the masterclass."

"Both she and Isobel were expansive and engaging in how they talked through their preparation and thought processes going into big games, as well as drilling down on areas such as shot selection and preparing multiple plans for opponents they came up against."

"The clear message from both players to our young squad is – get to know what you're good at, and focus on becoming the best you can be at that," Ed added.

The Ireland women's cricket team are due to compete at the World Cup Qualifier in July in Sri Lanka, however, the ICC will provide an update on the tournament's status in due course amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic which has claimed more than 2.6 lakh lives worldwide and has brought the entire cricketing calendar to a grinding halt.