Now a full-time cricketer, whether that be playing or spruiking the sport as a Cricket Australia ambassador, she still manages the odd game for Hawthorn Hockey Club in the women's Premier League, where there are rave reviews about the hand-eye coordination of a teammate known as "Mega".

Hockey legend Jay Stacy, now the coach of HHC and the Victorian Institute of Sport, has no doubt what Lanning could have achieved.

"As a striker she possesses excellent goal sense and reads the game one or two passes ahead to put herself into optimal goal-scoring positions. The last season Meg played with us at Hawthorn HC she scored nine goals from eight games," Stacy said from India, where he is coaching in the high-profile local league.

"A fantastic effort considering she has limited opportunity to train or play as her cricket career and commitments move into overdrive. Her tenacity to win disputed ball and her work ethic are exceptional. As coach I would love her to play every week.

"I honestly think if she applied herself to another sport – several – in the same way she applies herself to cricket, I think she could have reached the elite level of that chosen sport."

Instead, Lanning chose to pursue cricket, a decision that has rewarded herself and the sport. Her latest challenge is preparing the Southern Stars for a three-match Twenty20 series against New Zealand, beginning at the MCG on Friday.

The silky top-order strokemaker has had another strong domestic season, thumping more than 1300 runs, including four centuries, across all formats, and claiming her third Belinda Clark award.

Four years ago, Lanning, who turns 25 next month, was likened to David Warner in her freshness and approach to the sport. Like Warner, she cannot stand losing and has continued to excel, and is building a reputation in the manner of two prominent sporting figures – cricketing great Ricky Ponting and Serena Williams, the greatest women's tennis player.

"To be honest, I watch a lot of different sports. Ricky Ponting was the person that I watched a lot of growing up. I loved the way he played. He was really aggressive and came in at No.3 and whether there was a wicket on the first ball, he would take the game to the opposition, which I loved," Lanning told Fairfax Media.

"He was someone that I looked at growing up. Someone like Serena Williams these days who is a prominent sportsperson in general and is very successful and just knows how to win. I love her competitive nature.

"I try and learn from different athletes ... I love seeing how people go about their business."

The same could be said of Lanning, who is tall, athletic and a strong ball-striker.

On the cricketing field, the hand-eye coordination Stacy spoke about could even be good enough for her to handle the male pace bowlers. Lanning, who made history as the first girl to make an Associated Public School first XI when at Carey, says the fastest woman she has faced has been up to 130km/h – roughly medium pace for men.

"The thing is, you are not used to it. I am sure if we faced a fair bit of it, and played it growing up that would OK – but it's just that you would not really be used to," she said.

"The men's bowlers get a lot more bounce. When [bowling coach] Joey Dawes and [coach] Matthew Mott throw to us in the nets, the biggest thing is the extra bounce they get – not necessarily the pace. It's a slightly different angle it's coming from."

The Melbourne Stars skipper also has a delicate touch, and her ability to create shots – as she did against the Renegades' Sophie Molineux in the WBBL New Year's Day derby when she opened her stance and slashed wide of mid-off, then the next ball played a more conventional cover drive – again helped her top the competition's run-scoring list. Still, always seeking to improve, she wasn't overly happy.

"I was happy with my WNCL season. I was a bit frustrated coming out of Sri Lanka, where I probably didn't make as many runs as I would have liked. It was nice to really put some big scores on the board, which is important in 50-over cricket," she said.

"WBBL is a tricky one – 14 games is a lot. It's hard to hold your form all the way through. I was too inconsistent ... but that's the nature of T20 cricket."

As captain, Lanning has much to think about. There's the need to maintain her own form - a key part of captaincy Steve Waugh once said – while also looking out for teammates and empowering those who also show leadership qualities. Stacy said the respect Lanning commands was also obvious on the hockey field.

"I often witness that it's not because she is captain of the Australian women's cricket team or that she is a talented hockey player, it's more the fact her feet are firmly on the ground, she empowers people around her, has an engaging personality and to the girls in the team she is still their teammate Mega," he said.

Lanning's personal records are something to behold. At 18, she became the youngest Australian to post a one-day century; a year later she notched the fastest century by an Australian, dashing to three figures off 45 balls against New Zealand.

Then there was her 241 not out off 136 balls for Box Hill Cricket Club in the Victorian Women's Cricket Association, the highest individual score in Women's Premier cricket firsts.

Pushing that aside, in a year when the Stars will mount a World Cup defence in England during the northern summer, Lanning is all about her team winning, beginning in the Twenty20 series then a one-day campaign against New Zealand.

"Both teams know each other very well. I think it will be a great series," she said. "There are some of the world's best players in both teams, looking forward to taking them on."