Australia all-rounder Ash Gardner has given a positive update on the fitness of key players as the defending champions move closer to securing a place in the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026.
Australia continued their excellent start to the tournament with a convincing 98-run win over Netherlands Women in Southampton on Saturday, June 21. The victory was their third in a row and kept them unbeaten at the top of Group A.
The Australians produced another strong all-round performance. Batting first, they posted a huge total of 219/6 from their 20 overs. Beth Mooney led the way with a brilliant 74 from 42 balls, while Gardner played an attacking innings of 58 from just 32 deliveries. The Netherlands were never able to keep up with the required run rate and were eventually restricted to 121, giving Australia a comfortable victory.
However, despite the win, there were some injury concerns for the Australian camp.
Star wicketkeeper-batter Beth Mooney retired hurt during her innings after suffering a back problem. Mooney looked in excellent form before leaving the field and did not take part in Australia’s bowling innings.
Australia are already dealing with other fitness concerns. Gardner entered the match carrying an ankle injury, while Phoebe Litchfield is still recovering from the quad injury she suffered during Australia’s opening match against South Africa.
Litchfield is hoping to return before Australia’s highly anticipated clash against India at Lord’s on Sunday, June 28.
With Mooney off the field, fellow opener Georgia Voll took over the wicketkeeping duties and performed well. However, Australia will be hoping Mooney is fully fit as they look to secure a semi-final place and continue their push for another World Cup title.
After the match, Gardner suggested that Mooney’s issue was not too serious.
“Just precautionary for Moons,” Gardner confirmed post-game.
“Obviously we have such a big tournament, two more huge round games, and then hopefully some finals. So yeah, don’t want to push where we don’t have to.
“And my ankle was good. Yeah, obviously made a full recovery to be able to be confident enough to play today. It’s certainly still bruised. But that’s just the theatrics of it, but yeah, all is good.”
Gardner certainly showed no signs of discomfort during the match. Her aggressive half-century helped Australia take complete control after a strong opening partnership. She struck nine boundaries and kept the scoring rate high throughout her innings.
Even though Australia have won all three of their matches comfortably, there has been some outside discussion about whether the team is as dominant as it was in previous years. Gardner dismissed those suggestions and said the team remains focused only on its own performances.
“It’s certainly not a language that we would ever use within our environment,” she said.
“(The media) can talk about our team that way. We always come into these tournaments and there is an expectation that Australia should do well, but I think within our group at the moment, we’re staying so present in what the moment is and taking the positives and the learnings out of each game, each training session, and focusing on that, controlling what we can control.
“We can’t control what people say about us, but if we back our best cricket, we know that we can beat most teams. So I think just believing that is the biggest thing for us.”
Australia are now in a very strong position in Group A. A win over Pakistan on Tuesday, June 23, would almost guarantee a place in the semi-finals before their final group-stage match against India.
For now, the team will continue monitoring the fitness of Mooney and Litchfield while taking confidence from another impressive performance as they move one step closer to the knockout stage.
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