Gardner Calls for Batting Improvement as Australia Bans Pre-Game Activity
Australia has banned the pre-game activity that nearly sidelined Ashleigh Gardner for the T20 World Cup. The all-rounder has urged her team’s batters to step up in the third T20I against New Zealand in Brisbane on Tuesday.
Gardner missed the series opener in Mackay after colliding with teammate Georgia Wareham while attempting to catch a “Vortex” ball in a warm-up drill. The incident initially raised concerns about a potential eighth career concussion, but Gardner was cleared and returned with a player-of-the-match performance in the second T20I.
“It’s been nice to get back out there after a weird occasion,” Gardner said. “I’ve had a lot of head knocks in the past; I know when I am concussed and when I’m not.”
The Vortex ball has been removed from Australia’s pre-match routine. Captain Alyssa Healy opted to bat first in the second T20I, but the team’s innings faltered, losing their last seven wickets for 28 runs.
Despite the batting collapse, Australia’s bowlers secured a 29-run victory. Gardner believes there is room for improvement in their final hit-out before the World Cup in Dubai.
“There’s still a lot left in the tank,” she said. “Hopefully in this last game if we do bat first we can put a massive total on the board.”
Gardner highlighted the team’s batting depth, with Annabel Sutherland entering at the fall of the sixth wicket. “Sutherland at eight is pretty ridiculous,” she said. “We know our bowling unit is good enough to restrict them.”