It wasn’t a great start for the Australian women at the start of the home season during the three-match T20I series against New Zealand at the Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay, as their premier all-rounder of the side, Ashleigh Gardner, was ruled out of the opening 20-over game due to a horrible clash.
The toss for the first T20I was delayed as the 27-year-old was undergoing a concussion test after colliding with Georgia Wareham during the soccer game that they were playing during the warm-ups. The latter looked fine at the end of the clash, but Ashleigh Gardner was needed to check, given her long history of concussion.
Her team-mates looked a bit stressed, anticipating the depth of the injury which could be quite dangerous, keeping in mind the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates in October, as Australia will look to defend their title.
Watch: Ashleigh Gardner injured himself during warm-up games
Ashleigh Gardner has gone through a history of concussions, having suffered four of them, in a space of, around a year and a half. In 2020, the all-rounder faced yet another bout of concussion while being involved for the Sydney Sixers in the WBBL against the Adelaide Strikers.
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Cricket Australia has released an official statement on the condition of the Bankstown-born, who was hit in the jaw as a result of the collision.
“Ash Gardner suffered a hit in the jaw as a result of a collision during the warm-up and is unavailable for tonight’s match,” CA revealed in the statement.
Not just this experienced member of the side, but the Alyssa Healy-led side is also without the services of their duo Grace Harris and Kim Garth, both of whom are expected to be back for the T20 World Cup in Dubai and Sharjah.
“Kim Garth is progressing well with her rehab following a knee injury sustained at the back end of the Hundred. She has resumed training. She is not available for selection for this series but is on track to be available for the World Cup.” CA reported through the statement.
“Grace Harris sustained a very low-grade right calf strain earlier this week while completing her return from a significant left calf injury in the off-season. She will be unavailable for the NZ series but, if all goes well, we expect she will be available for the World Cup.” Cricket Australia gave a major update.
Ash Gardner is out due to concussion protocols…
After this head clash with Georgia Wareham in a warm up game 😮#AUSvNZ pic.twitter.com/fN9tNWiJoc
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) September 19, 2024
Ashleigh Gardner has been part of 88 T20I games for the National side, where she has smashed 1329 runs in 68 innings at an average of 25.55 with the help of six half-centuries with a best score of 93. Using his off-spin, she has also bagged 68 wickets at an average of around 21 with an economy of under seven thanks to her best figures of 5/12 an innings.
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Ashleigh Gardner looked in decent touch during the Women’s Hundred, being involved in the Trent Rockets side, where she managed to score 176 runs in eight innings at an average of 22 and a strike rate of around 140, besides picking up ten wickets at an average of under 16.
In the recent season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), the all-rounder from New South Wales, playing for the Gujarat Giants managed 120 runs at a strike rate of over 110 and picked up seven wickets at an economy rate of 7.75.
The second T20I for Australia against White Ferns will now take place on September 22 at the same ground.
