Gardner's second WBBL ton a mark of T20 evolution

Ashleigh Gardner says her blazing 124 from 60 balls in the Sydney Sixers' emphatic win over the reigning WBBL champions was a mark of her evolution with the bat, after she rescued her team from peril at 3-6.

Gardner's second Big Bash century, backed up with her 3-23 with the ball, was arguably the finest hundred in the tournament's 12-season history.

It also came almost nine years after her first. That innings, a whirlwind 114 from 52 balls at North Sydney Oval in December 2017, saw Gardner announce herself on the WBBL stage.

Back then, she was known as a brash batter, a bit of a slogger and a part-time bowler, who was just starting to cement herself in the Australian team.

These days, Gardner is a genuine allrounder, the Sixers skipper, Australian vice-captain and a two-time Belinda Clark Award winner.

For a time during the nine-year spell between Big Bash hundreds, her off-spin became the stronger of her two suits. Over the past two years, however, Gardner's batting has again caught up – she scored three ODI tons in 2025 after cementing a middle-order spot, and her T20I batting has likewise flourished in 2026.  

Coming into WBBL|12, Gardner hammered 84 against New Zealand in a T20I, her highest score internationally in the format since 2020.

Speaking after Sunday's win over the Hurricanes, Gardner said her increased maturity with the willow had helped her handle the pressure of walking out to bat with her team 3-6, having lost Ellyse Perry, Sophia Dunkley and Amelia Kerr.

"I think a couple of years ago, I probably would have, I don't know, maybe either hit out or tried too much too soon," Gardner said.

"I think if it was a tacky wicket, it might have been a little bit trickier. But I knew that the wicket was good, so I knew that if I just gave myself a chance, it would be fine.

"And I was nine off like 15 balls, so I knew that I didn't have to panic. Where I think in the past I would have panicked (that) my strike rate was not at 100 or 100-plus and try and go too soon.

"I knew that if I got enough balls in my scoring areas that I'd catch up pretty quickly."

Gardner exploded after bringing up her half-century, taking just a further 17 balls to reach her hundred.

She shared a 176-run fourth-wicket stand with England import Alice Capsey, who played the perfect support role to her captain while scoring a 40-ball 54no of her own.

"I wish cricket was always that easy," Gardner said. "I just felt like, walking in at 3-6, the conversations that I was having with 'Caps' was just about trying to score off as many balls as possible, and just trying to build a partnership.

"It's obviously really cliche, but I feel like if we did that, we knew that the wicket was good.

"We know the powerhouses that are in this Hurricanes side, and I knew that we needed 180 and we were going to have to bowl well regardless.

"So after building a partnership with Caps, I felt like she was hitting the ball really well, and she was playing a really good role for me as well. Picking her strengths, but then also getting me on strike as well."

The Sixers are now two from two to start the season, with Sunday's 87-run win a more convincing display then their final-ball victory over Brisbane Heat on Friday night.

The club have a relatively similar list to last season – minus the huge hole left by the retirement of Alyssa Healy – with Capsey coming in and taking the wicketkeeping gloves and adding firepower to the middle order, while veteran pacer Sarah Coyte has also added experience to their line-up.

Gardner also pointed to the smooth transition to new coach Peter Clarke, the former Australia team psych who was also a Sixers assistant last season, as contributing to their promising start.

"The beauty of this side (is) it's probably one of the most balanced teams that we've had," Gardner said. "There's not that reliance on one or two people, which I think in the past, 'Pez' has scored a bulk of the runs and things like that, rather than other people just taking on that role, knowing that we do bat pretty deep.

"(Pete's) just given us a lot of belief. Not that we didn't already have it, but it was more so just having that belief with every opportunity just to do things with conviction.

"It's not just to do things half-hearted, it's actually just to run at it head-on.

"We don't want to be three for six again, but I guess if we're in that situation, we know that we can find a way to try and get out of it. And I guess that's the beauty of having a head coach who's also a psych, so he knows the mental side of the game too, which I think is a really cool thing to have."

Weber WBBL|12 Standings

Round 1

Team	Matches played M	Wins W	Losses L	Ties T	Drawn D	No results N/R	Net Run Rate NRR	Deductions Ded.	Batting Bonus Bat	Bowling Bonus Bowl	Total points PTS
1 Sydney Sixers Women SIX	2	2	0	0	0	0	2.25	0	0	0	4
2 Sydney Thunder Women THU	2	2	0	0	0	0	1.605	0	0	0	4
3 Perth Scorchers Women SCO	1	1	0	0	0	0	3.422	0	0	0	2
4 Adelaide Strikers Women STR	1	1	0	0	0	0	1.05	0	0	0	2
5 Melbourne Stars Women STA	2	1	1	0	0	0	-0.075	0	0	0	2
6 Brisbane Heat Women HEA	2	0	2	0	0	0	-0.891	0	0	0	0
7 Melbourne Renegades Women REN	2	0	2	0	0	0	-2.265	0	0	0	0
8 Hobart Hurricanes Women HUR	2	0	2	0	0	0	-2.625	0	0	0	0

Legend

M: Matches played

W: Wins

L: Losses

T: Ties

D: Drawn

N/R: No results

NRR: Net Run Rate

Ded.: Deductions

Bat: Batting Bonus

Bowl: Bowling Bonus

PTS: Total points