Star all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner has backed Australia to regain their position at the top of women’s cricket, insisting the side remains the best in the world despite no longer holding the T20 World Cup or ODI titles.
Australia is the host India, newly crowned World Over 50 Championin a multi-format series comprising three T20 Internationals, three ODIs and a Test. The series will be the first meeting between the two teams since India knocked out Australia in the semi-finals of the recent World Cup.
Recent tournament outings have subjected Australia to unfamiliar scrutiny, but Gardner said the belief within the group was unwavering. “We’ve definitely been under pressure recently,” she told cricket.com.au. “But I can still sit here confidently and say we are the best team in the world.
India are coming in with momentum after a successful World Cup campaign, something Gardner was quick to acknowledge. “India will come across with a lot of confidence, as it should,” she said. “They’ve obviously been playing some really good cricket recently. She pointed to a hard-fought ODI series ahead of the FIFA World Cup and India’s semi-final victory as proof of the challenge ahead.
However, Gardner believes Australia’s familiarity with domestic conditions could be decisive. “They are also moving into our conditions, which we know better than they do,” she said. “If called upon, we also know what to do at such times.” Australia’s preparations, she added, focused on turning knowledge of the conditions into results.
Despite falling short in major tournaments, Gardner highlighted Australia’s consistency over the past year. “We’ve only lost about two games in the last 12 to 18 months and I think the two games we lost were both in the semi-finals,” she said, adding that the results reflected the stability of the side.
“It kind of shows the consistency of the group,” Gardner added. “It’s just about putting the pieces together to hopefully win those trophies. She said the emphasis is on refinement rather than sweeping change.
Australia’s semi-final exits to the 2024 T20 World Cup and ODI World Cup ended their seven-year reign as white-ball world champions. Gardner identified the execution in pressure moments as a key area for improvement. “Just to win those little moments in those high-pressure situations, which ultimately in a World Cup when you’re playing finals cricket, you have to be able to do that and for us we weren’t able to do that,” she said.
Gardner also emphasized the importance of mental clarity under pressure. “Sometimes when you’re under pressure, you might make a bad decision,” she said. “We’re going to make sure we know the mental side of our game is in the best place it can be because ultimately that’s going to help you make the right decisions on the field.”
– The end
Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
December 30, 2025
