When her team plays India in six white-ball matches—three ODIs and as many T20Is—star Australian all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner said she is ready to leave her imprint at the bat. The historic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai will host the first ODI on Thursday, December 28.
This season in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), Gardner experienced a losing streak. The 26-year-old all-rounder bowled a total of 50 overs in the one-off Test match against the Harmanpreet Kaur-led team, which they lost by eight wickets.
“I was having a great time bowling, but when I woke up the next morning, I was really sore in areas of my body that I didn’t believe I utilized. But for me, it was a really great chance. A few days before the first ODI, Gardner said, “I feel ready to go again. I surprisingly recovered quite quickly. I haven’t felt like I bowled 50 overs in a Test match.”
In my opinion, I’m hitting well on the net. Ashleigh Gardner
Gardner said that the WBBL tournament did not go as planned, citing her subpar hitting performance. She is certain, though, that in the upcoming white-ball series, she can display some amazing hitting. While hitting just 289 runs at a 22-run average, the 26-year-old has claimed 21 wickets at an 18.5 average in the 2023 WBBL.
“Not everything went as expected in the Big Bash… It’s discouraging because, although I think I’m hitting well in the nets, it’s almost like one of those things that I can’t really translate into games. When you feel like you’re hitting the ball and timing it well, as a hitter, it may be quite frustrating and you want it to happen more often throughout games.
“It’s not technical; I feel like I’m not that far away; it’s just that I can’t seem to make decisions clearly.” It’s vital to have a clear gameplan in a place like India, so I’m going to really concentrate on that for these next six games here in India,” she continued. She did, however, add that she had the utmost confidence when it came to her ball skills.
“With the bat, you’re out if you go out, but with the ball, you can demonstrate a little bit more resiliency. Bowling is one of those sports where you do get more than one stroke. I’ve worked hard over the past few years to identify my strongest ball-handling skills and learn how to use them most of the time. That relates back to the fact that Alyssa Healy currently has a great deal of faith in me with the ball, which has greatly boosted my confidence. The Australian said, “I’m in a pretty good situation with the ball right now, and maybe that can translate to the bat as well.
India
