Ashleigh Gardner facts for kids
.jpg)
Gardner batting for Sydney Sixers during WBBL|03
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name |
Ashleigh Katherine Gardner
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 15 April 1997 Bankstown, New South Wales, Australia |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | Ash | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm off spin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | All-rounder | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relations | Monica Gardner (wife) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test debut (cap 174) | 18 July 2019 v England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 1February 2025 v England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 134) | 2 March 2017 v New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 17 January 2025 v England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI shirt no. | 63 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I debut (cap 44) | 17 February 2017 v New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last T20I | 21 March 2025 v New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I shirt no. | 63 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2017, 2018–present | New South Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–present | Sydney Sixers (squad no. 6) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–16 | Northern Districts | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–18 | South Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–present | Gujarat Giants | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 17 January 2025
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ashleigh Katherine Gardner (born April 15, 1997) is an Australian cricketer. She plays for the national women's team. Ashleigh is an all-rounder, meaning she is good at both batting and bowling. She bats right-handed and bowls right-arm off spin.
Gardner also plays for teams like New South Wales and the Sydney Sixers. She has won many championships with her teams. She has also received individual awards, like the Belinda Clark Award.
Contents
Playing Cricket in Australia
Ashleigh Gardner started her professional cricket journey in Australia. She first played for New South Wales in the 2015–16 season. In the same year, she joined the Sydney Sixers for the first-ever Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) season. She also played a few games in New Zealand for Northern Districts.
Breakthrough Season and Championships
The 2016–17 season was a big one for Gardner. She helped both the Sixers and New South Wales win championships. She was also named the "Young Gun" of WBBL|02. During the WBBL final, she had to leave the field due to heat exhaustion.
Moving Teams and Big Scores
For the 2017–18 WNCL season, Gardner moved to South Australia. She played six games before returning to New South Wales. In WBBL|03, she scored an amazing 114 runs off just 52 balls. This was one of the fastest half-centuries and highest scores in the league. The Sixers won their second championship in a row that season.
Recent Domestic Success
Gardner faced some challenges with concussions during her career. Despite this, she bounced back strongly in WBBL|08. She was named the Player of the Tournament, a great achievement. In February 2023, she was bought by the Gujarat Giants for a large sum in the first WPL auction.
Representing Australia Internationally
First Games for Australia
Gardner joined Australia's national team in 2017. She made her Women's Twenty20 International (WT20I) debut on February 17 against New Zealand. A few weeks later, she played her first Women's One Day International (WODI) game on March 2. In June 2017, she became the first Indigenous Australian woman to play in a Cricket World Cup.
Winning the First T20 World Cup
Gardner showed her batting skills in the 2017–18 Women's Ashes series. She scored 27 runs quickly to help Australia win a close game. In October 2018, she scored her first half-centuries in both ODI and T20I matches against Pakistan.
In November 2018, Gardner took ten wickets at the 2018 ICC Women's World Twenty20 tournament. She took 3 wickets and scored 32 runs in the final against England. Australia won by eight wickets, and Gardner was named Player of the Final.
Test Debut and More World Cup Wins
.jpg)
Gardner played her first Test match in the 2019 Women's Ashes. In this match, she became the only woman to score her first runs in all three international formats with a six. This showed her powerful hitting style.
In February 2020, Gardner scored her highest T20I score of 93 runs against India. Later that month, she helped Australia win their second consecutive world championship at the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup. She took the winning catch in the final.
Cricket World Cup and Commonwealth Games Success
Gardner scored her first Test half-century in 2021 against India. She scored another half-century in the 2021–22 Women's Ashes.
At the 2022 Women's Cricket World Cup, Gardner played a great game against New Zealand. She scored 48 runs quickly and took 3 wickets. Australia went on to win another world championship.
Gardner also had a strong performance at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. She scored 52 runs against India, helping Australia win a tough match. In the gold medal game, she scored 25 runs and took 3 wickets, leading Australia to victory.
In June 2023, Gardner had an amazing performance in an Ashes Test match against England. She took 12 wickets in total, including 8 wickets for just 66 runs in one innings. This was the best bowling performance ever by an Australian woman in Test cricket.
Life Outside Cricket
Ashleigh Gardner was born in Bankstown, a suburb of Sydney. She is an Indigenous Australian through her mother's Muruwari heritage. She started the Ashleigh Gardner Foundation to help more Aboriginal children finish high school.
During the 2020 pandemic, Gardner started dot painting as a hobby. Her artwork became very popular on social media. Other famous cricketers even asked her to paint for them. In April 2025, Ashleigh Gardner married Monica Wright.
Achievements and Awards
Team Wins
- Women's Cricket World Cup champion: 2022
- 3× ICC Women's T20 World Cup champion: 2018, 2020, 2023
- Commonwealth Games champion: 2022
- 2× Women's National Cricket League champion: 2016–17, 2018–19
- 2× Women's Big Bash League champion: 2016–17, 2017–18
Individual Awards
- ICC Women's T20 World Cup Player of the Final: 2018
- Belinda Clark Award winner: 2022, 2024
- WBBL Player of the Tournament: 2022–23
- WBBL Young Gun Award winner: 2016–17
See also
