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Women's T20 WC: 'It Was Nice To Spend Time In The Middle,' Says Gardner After Blazing Fifty Vs Netherlands

T20 World Cup: Ashleigh Gardner said she was pleased to make the most of her return to Australias playing XI after scoring a quickfire 58 off 32 balls in their record-equalling Womens T20 World Cup total against the Netherlands at the Rose Bowl in Southampton on Saturday. Gardner, who missed Australias previous match after suffering an ankle injury, played a key role in helping the six-time champions post 219/6, matching the highest total in Womens T20 World Cup history. She shared a match-defining partnership with Beth Mooney, who top-scored with 74 before retiring hurt. Its always nice to be able to spend some time out in the middle. I felt like it was a bit of a missed opportunity in that first game, and then obviously missed the second game. So, yeah, plenty of time to spend out in the middle, and had a really good partnership with Beth Mooney, which is really nice, Gardner said after the innings. The all-rounder also provided an update on her fitness, brushing aside concerns over the ankle problem that kept her out of Australias previous fixture. Ankles good. Very much strapped. Yeah, it was just a bit of an accident, walking at least. But yeah, we dont need to talk too much about it, she said. Gardner revealed that Australias approach against a relatively unfamiliar Netherlands attack was to remain simple and react to each ball on its merits. She credited Mooneys experience for helping maintain clarity during their aggressive stand. We obviously dont know the Dutch girls that well, so its basically taking every ball as it comes, making sure that were not overthinking the scenario. And I guess being able to talk with Beth Mooney out there, shes got so much experience, and we kind of just said to reset every ball. And if a ball was in our area, just making sure that we were fully committed to it. So yeah, it was nice to be able to have a big partnership, put our team in a really good position, and then obviously seeing what Georgia Wareham can do at the end and absolutely hit the ball everywhere. So yeah, it was a really nice time to be out in the middle, she added. Australias total was further boosted by Georgia Warehams explosive 41 off just 18 balls, while Annabel Sutherland added a late cameo as the defending champions finished with a daunting score on the board. Gardner believes Australias bowlers are well equipped to defend the massive total and backed both the pace and spin departments to finish the job. Australias total was further boosted by Georgia Warehams explosive 41 off just 18 balls, while Annabel Sutherland added a late cameo as the defending champions finished with a daunting score on the board. Also Read: Live Cricket Score Australia will now look to complete a dominant all-round performance as they seek to maintain their unbeaten start to the tournament. Article Source: IANS