Ashleigh Gardner

Ashleigh Gardner is a free-flowing middle-order batsman and an off-break bowler. She plays all three formats for Australia, while she represents Sydney Sixers in the Women’s Big Bash League. The all-rounder lives by the formula of seeing the ball and depositing it into the stands. 

A 17-year-old Ashleigh Gardner made her name when she topped the run-tally during the U18 Championship and took New South Wales to the title in 2015. Later, she was awarded the Player of the Series award and the Lord Taverners Indigenous Player of the Year award, for her breakthrough performances. The all-rounder carried her form during the 2016-17 season where she grabbed nine wickets and played some useful part with the bat as well. 

In February 2017, the all-rounder grabbed her T20I cap against New Zealand. A month later, she made her ODI debut against the White ferns. Gardner was also part of Australia’s squad during the 2017 World Cup, which went to the semifinal of the tournament. 

In 2017, she smoked 117 runs off just 52 deliveries to post the highest score in the WBBL, ending the season as the highest run-getter. The next year, she led an Indigenous squad on a tour of the United Kingdom to mark the 150th Anniversary of the all-Aboriginal cricket team.

As her career progressed, Gardner became a seasoned T20 campaigner. On the back of WBBL performances, the all-rounder was selected for the 2020 World T20, which Australia won in front of a crowd of 86000 people at the MCG. In 2021, she was named for the limited-overs series to be played against New Zealand in March. 

The all-rounder could be the chief architect for Australia in the 50-over World Cup to be held in New Zealand in 2022. With age and talent on her side, Gardner has the potential to serve Australia for a long, long time.

(As of March 2021)