Australian cricket has been rocked by a cheating scandal days after winning the T20 World Cup

Australian women’s cricket has been embroiled in a nasty controversy after star all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner’s wife, Monica Wright, publicly accused her of having an affair with Australian cricketer Georgia Voll.

The allegations came just hours after the Daily Mail reported that Gardner’s marriage had broken up over claims she was cheating on her wife with another player. While the original report did not identify the alleged cricketer, Wright appeared to confirm the identity herself through a series of Instagram posts.

Wright shared a photo of Voll on her Instagram story and wrote that the Daily Mail report was “too vague” before identifying the Australian batsman as the player allegedly involved in the breakdown of Gardner’s marriage.

INSTA STORY SPREADS AS THE VIEWER

The social media posts quickly spread throughout Australian cricket circles, turning what initially remained a nameless allegation into a public controversy involving two current Australian internationals.

According to the Daily Mail, Gardner and Wright’s marriage began to unravel during Australia’s ODI World Cup campaign in India earlier this year. Citing an unnamed team source, the report claimed that Wright traveled to India during the tournament, where teammates noticed that Gardner “didn’t look like her.”

The report claimed that upon returning to Sydney after the World Cup, Gardner told Wright that something had changed in their relationship and the conversation ultimately ended their marriage. The couple reportedly discussed plans to start a family before the split.

According to a Daily Mail source, Gardner moved out of the Sydney home in November, leaving only his wedding rings behind.

The publication went on to say that the separation has become a major talking point in the Australian dressing room, with several teammates said to have remained in touch with Wright even after the split.

Cricket Australia declined to comment on the matter. According to the Daily Mail, the board’s head of communications, Richard Hinds, responded with “no comment” when contacted for clarification. Gardner was also contacted by the publication, but at the time of writing had not publicly responded to either the report or Wright’s allegations.

Gardner, 29, is one of Australia’s senior players and earlier this year was named co-vice-captain of the national team alongside Tahlia McGrath. She was also named the ICC Women’s ODI Player of the Year. Neither Gardner nor Voll have publicly addressed Wright’s Instagram posts.

THE DUO WAS TOGETHER DURING ODI WORLD

Gardner and Wright’s last public appearance together was at the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup in India, where Wright traveled to support the Australian all-rounder during the tournament.

The couple hit the headlines after the Australian players were given a police escort following an incident involving two team members being molested in Indore. Two Australian players were allegedly stalked while one was allegedly molested by a biker while traveling from the team hotel to a cafe. The accused was later arrested by the Madhya Pradesh Police.

Following the incident, security arrangements for the Australian team were significantly beefed up, especially after the team moved to Navi Mumbai for the knockout stage of the tournament. Police deployed additional personnel around the team hotel and ensured an escort accompanied the players whenever they traveled outside.

Gardner and Wright shared a photo of their police escort on social media during the tournament, offering a glimpse into the increased security around the Australian camp. According to a Daily Mail report, it was during the same World Cup that the couple’s relationship reportedly began to fall apart, before finally ending later in the year.

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Issued by:

Kingshuk Kusari

Published on:

13 Jul 2026 14:42 IST