Ashleigh Gardner - Australian Women's Cricket's Underrated Gem

When we talk about the best women's cricket players in the recent times, we always thing about players like Mithali Raj, Harmsanpreet Singh, Smriti Mandhana, Meg Lanning or Ellyse Perry. Very rarely does a name like Ashleigh Gardner pop up in our minds. But there's one all rounder who's been one of the pillars of the Australian Women's Cricket Team's dominance in the past years, Ashleigh Gardner. She climbed the ranks to become a regular starter for Australia at only 21 years old because of her all round cricket abilities.

In this article by ZAP, let's know more about here, her career, her stats, her life and how she became an important part of the Australian Women's Team. 

Asheligh Gardner - Early life and Domestic Cricket Career

Ashleigh Gardner was born on 15th April, 1997 in New South Wales, Australia. Gardener attended Picnic Point High School and played for NSW in the domestic circuit. In 2015, she was picked by Sydney Sixers in the Women's Big Bash League and started playing at the elite level at a very nascent age. In 2016-17, her domestic side, New South Wales and her WBBL side, Sydney Sixers, both won the respective tournaments and Gardner played the role of an anchor as she was named the young gun of WBBL 02.

Next year, in WBBL 03, she scored the fastest half century and highest individual score in the league. She posted a commanding 114 off 52 balls on the board. Sydney Sixers clinched the title next year as well and Gardner had a lot to do with it. All these combined for her maiden national call. 

Also Read: Big Bash League

Asheligh Gardner - International Cricket Debut and Career

Ashleigh Gardner has played a total of 157 international matches across all formats. She has represented Australia predominantly in the shortest format, T20 Internationals (T20Is). At the young age of 20, Gardner made her international debut in a T20 match against New Zealand on 17 February 2017. Shortly after, she made her One Day International (ODI) debut on 2 March 2017, also against New Zealand. Gardner then made her Test debut on 18 July 2019 against England, after becoming a regular member of the Australian team.

She is a middle order batter and a right arm off spinner, who knows how to run games on her own terms. Gardner was a key player in the squad that clinched Gold at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games. She has played a crucial role in major ICC tournaments on various occasions. Gardner was part of the squad that won the 2022 Women's World Cup and the T20 World Cups in 2018, 2020, and 2023. Notably, she was the Player of the Match in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Final in 2018. In that match, she scored 33 runs off 26 balls batting at number three and was also effective with the ball, taking 3 wickets for 22 runs in her 4-over quota.

Also Read: GOAT of Women's Cricket | Greatest All Rounders of All Time

Ashleigh Gardner - Stats in International Cricket

Ashleigh Gardner's stats across different formats show her all rounder abilities and the versatile play style throughout her career. In 6 Test matches played, she has scored 281 runs with an average of 31.22, including 3 fifties, and has picked up 23 wickets with an impressive best bowling figure of 8/66. Her One Day International (ODI) career spans 69 matches, where she has scored 973 runs at an average of 26.29, and claimed 89 wickets.

In the shortest format, Women's T20 Internationals, Gardner has played 88 matches, scoring 1329 runs with a strike rate of 129.53, including 6 fifties. She has also taken 68 wickets, with a best bowling performance of 5/12. Overall, across all formats, Gardner has played 163 matches, scored 2583 runs, including 14 fifties, and taken a total of 180 wickets. Her contributions with both bat and ball have been instrumental in Australia's success in various international tournaments.

Ashleigh Gardner - The WPL Career

Ashleigh Gardner was bought by Gujarat Giants for ₹3.20 crore in the first edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL) in 2023 and was retained for the subsequent year, 2024. In total, she has played 16 matches so far, scoring 324 runs, which includes two fifties. As a bowler, she has taken 17 wickets over two seasons. 

Now that you have read about Ashleigh Gardner, here are some more articles we recommend you read:

Jacques Kallis | Jhulan Goswami | Women's Cricket | Australian cricket Team History