Born on 15th April 1997 in Kogarah, New South Wales, current Test, ODI and T20I player for Australia, Ashleigh Katherine Gardner.
A big hitting right-hand batter and an off-break bowler, Ash made quite an impression as a junior player, rising through the ranks in sparkling style. In 2015 she was player of the tournament in the national Under 18 championships. In the same year, this proud member of the Muruwari people was player of the tournament in the Imparja Cup, the annual tournament played by indigenous cricketers at Alice Springs in the Northern Territory.
In 2015/16 Ash made her debut for NSW in the WNCL against South Australia at the WACA. She didn’t bat but took the wicket of Sophie Devine. She made her WBBL debut for the Sydney Sixers in the same season, a team she still plays with to this day.
Ash made her international debut in a T20 match against New Zealand in 2016/17, batting at number three, runout by Lea Tahuhu for a duck after facing one delivery. Her ODI debut came in the same season against the same opposition.
A member of the Australian team at the 2017 ODI World Cup, Ash Gardner became the first indigenous Australian to play in a World Cup. In 2017/18 she moved to South Australia to play with the Scorpions for a season – South Australia is the home of Faith Thomas, the first indigenous woman to play for Australia. In 2019 Ash became only the second indigenous woman to play Test cricket.
Ash is a permanent fixture in the Australian team across all formats and her presence is always felt, whether with bat, ball or her athleticism in the field.
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