Gujarat Giants all-rounder Ashley Gardner (PTI Image)
Ashleigh Gardner was also impressed with her team’s bowling performance as it was the first time that Gujarat managed to contain the opposition in the WPL.
Gujarat veteran all-rounder Ashley Gardner admitted that she has not been consistent with her performances in the Women’s Premier League so far but is upbeat after her all-round performance against Delhi Capitals. The star Australian all-rounder was adjudged player of the match for scoring a brilliant half-century and picking up two crucial wickets.
Gardner scored a brilliant 51* off 33 balls as Gujarat posted a challenging 147/4 after being put in to bat. She put on a crucial 81-run partnership with Laura Wolvaardt to set the platform for Gujarat’s second win of the season.
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The talented all-rounder said she was looking for the right game after a sluggish start to the season.
“This is the game I was looking for. I felt I have been inconsistent so far in the tournament. To put our team in winning positions with the bat, Laura and I set the stage for our team to take advantage. Then we knew we had to bowl well,” said Ashley on receiving the player of the match award.
Gardner was also impressed with his team’s bowling performance as it was the first time that Gujarat managed to contain the opposition in the WPL.
He said, ‘We did it, this is the first time we got a team out. So it was a clinical performance which pleases. We spoke as a team and realized that we were losing too many wickets in bunches. To take your time and remember that 20 overs is a long time, you forget it feels like it’s going by so fast.”
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“So we gave ourselves a few balls to see provided you can get hold of in India where the outfields are fast and the wickets are good and at the end there is cash. I think as the tournament progresses, spin is getting more and more of a role. There was none before in the tournament, so now we can hit our lengths and get results.”
Pacer all-rounder Kim Garth was off to a flying start for Gujarat, taking 2/18 from his four overs, including the wicket of Arundhati Reddy in the 17th over.
He said, ‘We played well but were unlucky, happy with today’s win. We’re trying hard to stay calm. People from different countries operating can be challenging at times. We showed tonight that we can fight and stay in contention,” she told broadcasters after the match ended.
The win also means that Gujarat have managed to keep alive their chances of making it to the top three.
“Our top-order assessed the conditions very well. Initially it was 200 (score) but now we bowlers are happy. The pitches are probably getting tired. I was thinking of going in double digits for the whole tournament and even if the bowling is good, we will go for runs. Glad it isn’t. With all the teams in contention, it’s great,” he concluded.
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