Australia Women’s ‘Vortex Ban’ As Gardner Demands More

Ashleigh Gardner, an all-round player for Australia, urged her team’s hitters to fill their boots during the third Twenty20 International against New Zealand in Brisbane on Tuesday. This pre-game behaviour threatened to ruin Gardner’s T20 World Cup, but Australia prohibited it. Last Thursday, during a warm-up drill, Gardner collided with teammate Georgia Wareham. While trying to collect a soft “Vortex” ball, which caused him to miss the opening game of the series against New Zealand in Mackay. 

The current Belinda Clark Medallist brushed off the event at first, but after she was disqualified from the competition, she broke down in tears, afraid she may suffer the eighth concussion of her career. After being cleared, she made a mind-blowing return on Sunday, winning Player of the Match with a 3 for 16 effort. That was the highlight of a disciplined bowling display that helped the team defeat New Zealand by 29 runs.

Australia’s Vortex Rituals End

In 2018, the 27-year-old who had four concussions in 20 months went to see a neuropsychologist. “It’s been nice to get back out there after a weird occasion, a head collision in a warm-up,” she said. “It was weird to wrap my head around, but I’ve felt really good the last couple of days. I’ve had a lot of head knocks in the past; I know when I am concussed and when I’m not.” Australian Gardner said that the Vortex’s pre-game routine had been changed because they had vanished from sight before Sunday’s game.

Captain Alyssa Healy, who is usually content to pursue, decided to bat first on Sunday to make her side set the pace ahead of their World Cup defence in Dubai next month. Healy (38 off 25) got off to a quick start, but Australia’s innings faltered. Amelia Kerr recorded career-best figures of 4 for 20. The hosts suffered their greatest collapse in the history of the format when they lost their final seven wickets for 28 runs. As Australia headed towards victory, Phoebe Litchfield and Sophie Molineux made brilliant catches to remove crucial duo Suzie Bates (34 off 34) and Sophie Devin (four off 10).

Gardner’s Practice Goals

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Still, mistakes were made. When the game was getting close, Megan Schutt missed a sitter and other run-outs went unachieved. Perry‘s dismissal was also indiscernible; after being hit on the toe, the all-rounder took off for a run, but the wicketkeeper removed the bails with a whip. Australia’s bowlers ensured that 142 was more than enough. Gardner, though, is hoping for improvements in their last practice before departing for the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday in Brisbane. “We might be able to score a significant amount if we bat first in this final game since we still have a lot left in the tank,” she said.

Given the side’s extraordinary batting depth, which saw Annabel Sutherland come in at the fall of the sixth wicket, she argued there were no justifications. “Sutherland at eight is pretty ridiculous,” Ashleigh Gardner said. “Going into conditions like Dubai, we haven’t played there before [for Australia] so we’re kind of going into the unknown a little bit. But knowing we have a defendable total of 140, we know our bowling unit is good enough to restrict them. The skill we possess, in all facets … it was pretty clinical,” she concluded. 

Final Thoughts

The Australian women’s squad showed hard work, particularly via players like Gardner, who recovered from injury to give a match-winning effort. With an outstanding bowling attack and incredible batting depth, the squad is well-prepared for its World Cup campaign. Their willingness to learn from mistakes and adjust in high-pressure scenarios will be critical when they enter Dubai.