Ashleigh Gardner scripts history with career-best bowling figures

image-le0z7hpeAshleigh Gardner [Source: Twitter]

The defending champions Australia kicked off their T20 World Cup campaign with a commanding victory, crushing New Zealand in their opening match. 

The Meg Lanning-led Australia bowled out the White Ferns for just 71 runs, after setting a mammoth target of 174 at the Boland Park in Paarl on Saturday, February 11. 

Alyssa Healy, the opening batter of Australia, unleashed her best batting performance since the T20 World Cup 2020 final, hitting a majestic 55 runs and guiding her side to a score of 173/9 in the stipulated 20 overs. 

Meanwhile, the recently crowned No. 1 in the ICC T20 all-rounder rankings, Ashleigh Gardner, put forth a career-defining performance, registering a career-best figure of 5 for 12, which left the White Ferns shell-shocked. 

Thus, Gardner recorded the best-ever figures by an Australian in an ICC event, bettering Adam Zampa's 5 for 19 in the Men's T20 World Cup 2021. 

With her memorable outing for Australia in the tournament opener, Gardner has boosted her chances of fetching a substantial sum in the upcoming Monday's Women's Premier League (WPL) auction. 

Meanwhile, the Aussies will be up against Bangladesh Women in their next World Cup fixture scheduled on February 14 in Gqeberha.