Following the all-rounder’s unusual collision with Georgia Wareham prior to Australia’s T20 match against New Zealand, Ashleigh Gardner has been cleared of a concussion. Gardner and Wareham got into a clash during a warm-up game on Thursday night, which caused her to miss Australia’s series opener victory in Mackay.

Wareham also recovered from the knock to play in the five-wicket victory, and he has been ruled out of any concussion symptoms. Gardner, the current Belinda Clark Medallist, laughed off the situation at first, but then she broke down in tears. Concussions have plagued the 27-year-old throughout her professional career, with seven occurring in her terrible past. Gardner saw a neuropsychologist in 2018 as a result of the problem, having experienced four in a 20-month period.

Gardner will therefore be relieved to hear the news on Saturday since she and Wareham will get to participate in Sunday’s second T20 against New Zealand in Mackay. Ahead of the World Cup in the UAE next month, Australia is also concerned about additional injuries. Grace Harris (calf) and Kim Garth (knee) injury forced them to miss the New Zealand series.

In the second game of the series, Beth Mooney, who will play her 100th T20 international, stated that Australia would be trying to come out better.

“It was a good game for us, not a great one,” Mooney said. “So we’re looking to sharpen up every facet of the game, maybe getting off to a bit of a better start with the bat in terms of wickets lost, and then with the ball, maybe tidying up a few different areas there. “[New Zealand] got 140 on the board and they perhaps were a few runs short, so we’ll have to adjust tomorrow night if they come out pretty hard.”

Due to a cautious approach ahead of the T20 World Cup, Sophie Devine missed the first game of the series for New Zealand while she recovered from an ankle injury.

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