The 27-year-old Australian all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner was the star during the first innings of the Australia Women vs Pakistan Women match in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024. 

Dubai hosted this crucial Group A match, where Australia Women captain Alyssa Healy chose to bowl first. Pakistan Women were bundled out for only 82 runs in 19.5 overs. 

No solid Pakistan partnership

Pakistan Women struggled in the powerplay as they scored 23/2 at the end of the powerplay. Their batting continuously struggled after the powerplay, and in the slog overs, the Aussie off-spinner Ashleigh Gardner had a destructive role with the ball. 

There was no solid partnership between the Pakistan batters. The highest partnership in that innings was for 19 runs between Aliya Riaz and Iram Javed. For the next wicket (seventh wicket), Riaz had another 18-run partnership with Tuba Hassan, but those partnerships weren't enough for Pakistan Women. Only Aliya Riaz managed to reach the 20-run mark in that innings as the right-handed batter scored 26 runs off 32 balls with the help of three fours.

Ashleigh Gardner claimed a four-fer

Among the Aussie bowlers, off-spinner Ashleigh Gardner picked up four wickets. She took all four wickets in the slog overs, including three wickets in her last over. She ended with the bowling figures of 4-0-21-4. 

Gardner first broke the highest runs partnership in that innings by dismissing Iram Javed (12) in her third over. In her next or last over, Gardner dismissed Tuba Hassan (3), Syeda Aroob Shah (1), and Nasra Sandhu (0). The off-spinner took the wickets of Syeda and Sandhu on her last two balls.

Talking about the other Aussie bowlers, Annabel Sutherland (2/15) and Georgia Wareham (2/16) bagged two wickets each, while Megan Schutt (1/7) and Sophie Molineux (1/19) took one wicket each.  

 

 

 

 

 

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Australian all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner recently shared some heartwarming news on her Instagram account. She announced her engagement to her long-term girlfriend, Monica, delighting fans and followers. Gardner expressed her joy by posting a sweet caption that said, “Mrs. Gardner has a nice ring to it.” This announcement marks a significant milestone in Gardner’s personal life, as she and Monica embark on this new chapter together.

Gardner announces on Instagram

Gardner posted a couple picture and captioned it, “Mrs. Gardner has a nice ring to it 💍🤍”

Monica has been a constant source of support for Gardner, often seen cheering her on from the sidelines during her matches for the Australian team. Their relationship has been evident in Gardner’s social media posts, where she frequently shares pictures and moments with Monica. The couple’s bond was further highlighted when Monica accompanied Gardner to the Cricket Australia Awards ceremony, where Gardner received the prestigious Belinda Clarke award.

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A supportive relationship takes a new turn

Gardner’s engagement announcement has been met with an outpouring of love and congratulations from fans, teammates, and the cricketing community. As they begin this new journey together, Gardner and Monica’s relationship serves as a reminder of love and companionship in the world of sports.

As the auction commenced on the 13th of this month at the Jio Global Convention Centre, the five franchises created their teams for the Women’s Premier League inaugural season using the conventional process (WPL).

The tournament’s first edition is scheduled in Mumbai from March 4 to March 26. In this journal, we see each franchise’s top picks for their respective arsenals under the hammer. 

Royal Challengers Bangalore- Smriti Mandhana

Smriti Mandhana, the first player being under the hammer, drew a fierce bidding battle between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore, with the latter finally luring her in for a staggering Rs 3.4 crore. It made Mandhana the most expensive auction choice and provided Royal Challengers Bangalore with the choice of a suitable and prospective Indian captain.

Mumbai Indians- Natalie Sciver

Natalie Sciver, the impeccable English all-rounder, became the second most expensive player in the inaugural WPL for a colossal Rs 3.2 Crore. And of course, the Mumbai Indians squad’s top pick. Sciver broke into the scene as a skiddy medium-pace bowler, but she enhanced her batting abilities significantly. Sciver holds the distinction of becoming the first bowler in T20 cricket to record a hat-trick. She was a member of England’s World Cup-winning side in 2017 and was named one of five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 2018 for her contribution to the success.

Delhi Capitals- Jemimah Rodrigues

Jemimah Rodrigues, a phenomenal top-order batter has got roped in by the Delhi Capitals for a staggering Rs. 2.2 Crore. She is undoubtedly the most talented next-generation player on the Indian women’s squad right now. The amount of time she gets to play shots and her easy power-hitting talents, in particular, distinguish her. Adding cherry to the cake, she is an excellent fielder who can play wherever on the field.

Gujarat Giants- Ashleigh Gardner

The new franchise, Gujarat Giants, has broken the bank by acquiring the Aussie off-spinning allrounder Ashleigh Gardner for a whooping Rs 3.2 Cr, making her the second most expensive buy of the season. Gardner has blossomed into a burgeoning star to watch as Australia looks to recapture tonnes of skill with both bat and ball. She went on to play a pivotal part in Australia’s World Cup campaign, and Ashes win.

UP Warriorz- Deepti Sharma

The Agra-born seasoned Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma is all set to represent her home state, UP Warriors. Being bought for a colossal Rs 2.6 Crore, she’s hailed as the second most expensive Indian player in the recent WPL auction. Also, she would be the team’s vice-captain in the upcoming season.  

Australia is a name that instills fear into any side in the cricketing world, and the Australia Women are doing well to live up to that reputation. Whether it’s the men or women, wins and trophy’s just keep coming. They are dominant but still silent as was the case in both teams T20 World Cup wins and now the Women’s ODI World Cup win.

While Australia are a dominant side, their wins don’t come without easy. In this World Cup, Australia had to battle a few injuries and couldn’t field the same eleven for more than two matches in row. They had players coming in late, Ellyse Perry injured, and the batting line-up had to be shuffled. Despite having hurdles of their own, Australia were clinical on the field as they went unbeaten through the tournament.

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The Finals are a perfect example of how clinical they were. The match drew parallels with the finals in Men’s World Cup Finals in 2003, as Alyssa Healy made a massive century to take the game away from England. They scored 356, and it was way to high for the second most successful Women’s team, England.

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The win helps Australia exert their presence in the Women’s Cricketing World. After strong runs in tournaments, Australia faded away slightly in 2017. They lost the 2016 T20 World Cup and were eliminated in the semi-finals of the 2017 World Cup, ending their run of invincibility. Both defeats turned out to be a kick in the back for Australia Women as they regained their invincible status with three wins in the next three multi-national events.

They dominated in the 2018 and 2020 T20 World Cup, and finally finished with a commanding victory in the 2022 World Cup. Presently, the nation holds the Men’s and Women’s T20 World Cup along with the Women’s ODI World Cup. What makes Australia Women so good though? They, along with England literally pass the trophy onto each other in cycles as the other teams come to the tournament as pedestrians.

Some of the reasons behind Australia Women and the England Women’s team could be due to the squad depth and opportunities. Despite injuries, Australia Women kept putting out a World Class eleven out in the field. Each player in the side comes with experience and knows how to handle pressure nicely. The Women’s BBL has allowed players to step into the big stage with ease. The amount Australia invests in the Australia Women’s team is also a strong factor.

They invest enough to allow the Women’s team to remain committed and gain opportunities as the quality is on par with the men’s side. The importance given to Women’s Cricket is immense and Tim Paine’s statement regarding a planned Afghanistan Test that shouldn’t be planned as the Afghanistan Women’s team arent getting to play is a prime example as to how the Women’s game is treated in Australia.

The base and platform is incredible and the each player is a talent in her own right. Finally, Australia Women came in with a strong captain this year. Meg Lanning was brilliant as she led from the front through the tournament. As a batter, she was brave, used her strength square of the wicket nicely and was willing to experiment with the batting order when players were unavailable.

She stood up with the bat, allowed everyone to play with clarity as they could go about their roles, and just kept plowing away silently. With her bat talking nicely, her captaincy looked more effective. As the team had runs on the board, they found it easier to rotate their bowlers, and the bowlers came into their own with the confidence of being in a side that has all its bases covered.

Each player came into the tournament with a story of their own, and each lived up to their story and performed just as well as their teammates. It was a true team performance as the entire side fired collectively to make Australia look invincible again. Their status is easily comparable to the men’s team’s World Cup run from 1999 to 2007, which saw Australia go unbeaten. The players are also comparable with quality players constantly at coming at the opposition one after the other, making the team go on a relentless attack to push their opponents out of the ground.

With incredible young talent making way, a BBL that allows the young talent to hone their skills, experience and youngsters to compete with the older players, and an investment strategy greater than any other team, Australia are sending ominous signs to the other teams. With the Commonwealth games coming, stopping Australia Women seems tough unless other teams improve their investment strategies.