Australian captain Meg Lanning the greatest women's batter we've seen

She'd heard about this young stroke-maker from Australia who was voraciously racking up hundreds at state level for Victoria, and who'd been given her chance to shine in the national side at just 18 years old.

And only two games into Lanning's career, Edwards knew she was destined to become the greatest the women's game had ever seen.

"I'd heard a little bit about this young batter who was up-and-coming and the first game I think she'd got a few but in the second game I realised why everyone was speaking so highly of her," Edwards said.

"I just instantly thought 'this girl's going to break every record going'.

"To score a hundred in your second game at the age she was, she looked quite a talent and from what I'd heard she was renowned for scoring hundreds and she carried that into her international career.

"Once she gets to 20 you kind of think the writing's on the wall. Once she gets to 50 she converts and that's the sign of a world-class player."

In only her second innings, Lanning blasted 104 not out at the WACA, sending England's bowlers into a tailspin and immediately announcing herself on the world stage.

It was the first of 11 centuries Lanning now boasts at international level, and she's only 25. Edwards was the previous record holder in that category having made nine hundreds at ODI level, but that was during a career spanning two decades.

"It is scary to think what she's achieved so far when you think about how long I played. In 50-odd games she's got 11 centuries, that's just incredible," Edwards said.

"Unfortunately or fortunately enough I've watched her career from the start until now. The thing that strikes me about Meg Lanning, she's just so competitive.

"I watch her even more now I'm in the media, and she's just so desperately disappointed every time she gets out. You can see that real hunger to score runs and be successful, and that's what's really struck me.

"You wouldn't necessarily say she's really powerful in terms of some of the big hitters in the women's game, but just her cover drive and her cut shot is just to die for really."

Lanning is expected to resume her place as captain against England in Sunday's crunch World Cup clash, after a shoulder injury kept her out of Wednesday's win over Pakistan.

The woman she replaced as skipper, Alex Blackwell, has previously labelled Lanning as good as she's seen with the bat, and it's a claim that is almost impossible to disprove.

Her record is eye-wateringly good.

Sixty ODIs for 2883 runs, which puts her 13th of all-time. The only player above her in that list who has played less than 100 games is New Zealand's Amy Satterthwaite, who has 3069 through 98 matches at 30 years of age.

Lanning averages a staggering 54.39, the best among players who have scored more than 1500 runs, and she has 10 half-centuries to go with her 11 tons, meaning she converts more than half the time she gets to 50.

No one else with 1000 runs or more in the history of women's ODIs has been able to do that. And she's only getting better if her new highest mark of 152 not out against Sri Lanka earlier in the tournament is anything to go by.

Undermining her peerless statistical record is a universal respect across the cricketing world – from opponents and teammates past and present, and from the men's side of the fence.

She's one of the friendliest people in international cricket, and works as hard as anyone in the game to nurture her freakish talent.

"In any sport, the best or most talented players train the hardest as well," former Australian player Karen Rolton said.

"If I was playing now I'd love to be batting with her and having her in my team, rather than being against her..

"Nothing fazes her at all which is great. Her emotions don't get in the way when she's playing, sometimes that can have an effect on performances."

Australian opener Nicole Bolton says Lanning's batting ability is down to a flawless hand-eye co-ordination, and the fastest wrists she's ever seen in the women's game.

Retired all-rounder Shane Watson says Lanning is on another level to her peers.

"She just does it so easily, it's like she's playing a different game to everyone else and she has for a long period of time," Watson said.

"They're the players that are pioneers for the development of the game. Whether it's Meg for women's cricket, whether it's someone like Adam Gilchrist for a wicketkeeper for example.

"The expectation now for what people are expecting a keeper to be or a women's batter to be is because of Meg really raising that bar.

"The beautiful thing about Meg as well is she's such a sweet, down-to-earth girl who just doesn't take it for granted what she does, doesn't take for granted her ability and her opportunities to be able to play cricket for Australia and captain the women's team.

"She's an incredibly impressive young lady and an incredible ambassador for the game of cricket as well."