Gujarat Giants all-rounder Ash Gardner blasts half-century to keep finals hopes alive

Australian all-rounder Ash Gardner has kept the Gujarat Giants’ finals hopes alive with a Player of the Match performance in Thursday evening’s contest against the Delhi Capitals in Mumbai, smacking her first half-century of the Women’s Premier League.

The Giants clinched an 11-run victory over Meg Lanning’s side at Brabourne Stadium, lifting themselves off the bottom of the WPL ladder.

Gardner, the world’s top-ranked women’s T20I all-rounder, plundered an unbeaten 51 off 33 and took 2-19 with the ball in a timely return to form. The 25-year-old, who was snapped up for AU$558,000 in the inaugural WPL Auction last month, struck nine boundaries, reaching fifty in just 32 deliveries.

“It’s probably the game that I’ve been searching for to be honest,” Gardner said.

“I feel like I’ve been pretty inconsistent so far through this tournament, so to put my team in a winning position with the bat and then bowling well, it was a pretty clinical performance, which was pleasing.”

Gardner has struggled with the bat throughout the inaugural T20 tournament, averaging 10.40 in the opening five matches, including two golden ducks, with a high score of 25 against the UP Warriorz.

But the off-spinner, named Player of the Women’s T20 World Cup last month, has been the Giants’ leading wicket-taker in the WPL with nine scalps at 19.77.

After Delhi won the toss and elected to field first on Thursday, Gardner combined with South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt (57 off 45 balls) for an 81-run partnership for the third wicket as Gujarat posted 4-147 from its 20 overs. Australian spinner Jess Jonassen was the chief destroyer with the ball, taking 2-38 from her four overs.

In response, Delhi raced to 1-48 in the sixth over before a frantic collapse of 7-51, with Australian seamer Kim Garth claiming 2-18 in an economical four-over spell.

The Capitals were bowled out for 136 in the 19th over, with Gardner and Indian spinner Tanuja Kanwar (2-29 from four overs) wrapping up the tail. South African all-rounder Marizanne Kapp top-scored for Delhi with 36 (29) before she was run out by a direct hit in the 14th over.

Gujarat will next face the Royal Challenger Bangalore at Brabourne Stadium on Sunday morning, with the first ball scheduled for 1am AEDT.