[6] She went on to represent New South Wales at primary school level alongside several future Australian team mates, including Ellyse Perry.

[12] Lanning made her international cricket debut on 30 December 2010 in a T20I against New Zealand at Saxton Oval, scoring ten runs in a four-wicket victory.

[14] Two days later, Lanning scored her maiden ODI century, making 103 not out off 118 balls to help Australia defeat England by nine wickets.

[18] In an ODI against New Zealand on 17 December at North Sydney Oval, Lanning "blitzed" a century off 45 balls to lead her team to an emphatic nine-wicket victory, surpassing Karen Rolton's record for the fastest hundred by an Australian woman.

[19] During a group stage match against New Zealand at the 2013 Women's Cricket World Cup, Lanning scored 112 off 104 deliveries and formed a 182-run partnership with Jess Duffin to help chase down a target of 228 with seven wickets in hand and 70 balls remaining.

[28] During a group stage match against Ireland, she made 126 runs from 65 balls to set a new record for highest individual total in women's T20Is.

[32] The Sydney Morning Herald reported the appointment as a "messy captaincy handover" from incumbent Fields, who subsequently retired from international cricket despite urges from Australian selectors to reconsider.

[40] Australia's first match of the tournament started in "chaotic fashion"[41] at the coin toss when West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor called correctly and elected to bat before quickly changing her mind, only for Lanning to object.

[45] At the conclusion of the tournament, from which Australia were eliminated via a 36-run semi-final loss to India,[46] CA announced Lanning would undergo shoulder surgery that was expected to sideline her for six to eight months.

[48][49] At the 2018 World Twenty20 tournament in the West Indies, Lanning scored 28 not out in the final against England and hit the winning run to secure another championship for Australia.

With the match petering out as a "dull"[51] draw, her tactical decisions as captain—including the timing of declarations and employment of a second new ball—were questioned by several commentators[52][53] amidst suggestions that "cricket was the loser"[54] and that "a will to win and a desire to do the long format justice went astray".

[56][57] The match was notable for Lanning's innings of 133 not out off 63 balls, making it the second time she had set a new record for highest individual total in women's T20Is.

The first occurred in a group stage victory over Sri Lanka at the WACA Ground, during which she scored 41 not out and formed a 95-run partnership with Rachael Haynes.

[65][66] On 4 April 2021, Lanning led Australia in a six-wicket victory against New Zealand, marking the team's world record-breaking 22nd ODI win in a row.

In contrast to the Test in 2019, Lanning was praised for her captaincy on the final day of the match—which ended in a draw—after making a "bold declaration" that helped set up a "thrilling" finish.

[70] Lanning began the 2022 Women's Cricket World Cup with an innings of 86, and a second-wicket partnership of 196 alongside Rachael Haynes, in a twelve-run victory against England at Seddon Park.

[72][73] In the final, played at Hagley Oval, Australia defeated England by 71 runs to give Lanning her first 50-over world championship as captain.

[79] Lanning has captained Victoria since 2014 and is yet to play in a Women's National Cricket League (WNCL) championship-winning team despite consistently being a standout performer.

[96] At the official Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) launch on 10 July 2015, Lanning was unveiled as the Melbourne Stars' first-ever player signing and captain.

[106] The Scorchers finished the regular season in third place, resulting in Lanning's first WBBL finals appearance, although they were comfortably knocked out of the tournament via an eight-wicket semi-final loss to the Adelaide Strikers.

[110] With an innings of 51 not out from 38 balls against the Perth Scorchers on 7 November at North Sydney Oval, she became the league's first player to score a half-century against all eight teams.

Lanning's decision at the coin toss to bat first—a tactic she hadn't used since the 2016–17 season—was described by commentators as a "surprise",[112] a "shock",[113] and a "risky move"[114] that backfired.

Lanning holds the record for the most Women's ODI centuries,[1] having surpassed Charlotte Edwards' tally of nine on 5 March 2017 against New Zealand at Bay Oval.