Australia one step away from World Cup final

Parts of this article original appeared in The Daily Telegraph.

Should Lanning get off the mark with the bat, she will reach 3,000 ODI runs.

She will hit the milestone from 63 matches and with a strike rate of 95.81, with 11 100s and 11 50s.

She will be the second fastest cricketer to reach the mark behind Hashim Amla and has done it in just six and a half years.

At 25, Lanning has already earned nearly every honour. This World Cup is the only title she hasn’t captained Australia to and her feats on the field have earned her universal respect throughout the cricket world.

She passed 5,000 total runs with her 76 not out against India a week ago and has been making runs with apparent ease while nursing a shoulder injury that’s had her throwing underarm for many months.

Former Australia captain Lyn Larsen, who was the youngest to captain Australia at 23 before Lanning was named in the role when she was 22, has been following the Aussies around the UK this World Cup.

It’s the first time she’s seen Lanning play live and it’s even better than what she’d seen on TV.

“The innings she played the other day against Sri Lanka (152*) and just the call and the timing and seeing her bat live, she’s still only a kid effectively,” Larsen said.

“That composure and that steely face and determination. You can see why she’s number one already.”

England awaits the winner of Australia and India’s clash tonight, with the final to be played at Lord’s on Sunday.

Tonight’s match can be seen live on 9Go and FoxSports from 7.30pm AEST.