Ash Gardner has spoken publicly for the first time about the alleged cheating scandal that attracted widespread attention around Australian women’s cricket. The Australian all-rounder admitted that her reputation had been “tarnished” after her estranged spouse, Monica Wright, claimed in July that Gardner had an affair with teammate Georgia Voll during the Women’s World Cup in India late last year. Gardner, 29, is Australia’s vice-captain. In August, she released a brief public statement saying she was “sorry for the pain this has caused” and would continue to act as a leader within the side.
Gardner said the controversy surrounding her alleged off-field behaviour had overshadowed her side’s performances. Speaking to The Australian, she explained that playing sport at a high level brings a public platform, along with interest in an athlete’s personal life. “My reputation has been tarnished with the public, but I guess something that I always try to strive to do when representing any team that I play in is be the best teammate that I can, and hopefully show what this team means to me when I’m playing for them,” Gardner said. She also accepted that people can make their own judgments about what athletes are or are not doing.
Gardner said she was blindsided when the story first broke in July. Her ex-wife Wright, 30, had posted an Instagram story presenting younger teammate Voll, 23, as Gardner’s supposed lover. “This is who my wife cheated on me with . . .,” Wright wrote while sharing an image of Voll. Soon afterwards, Wright questioned why Cricket Australia had allowed Gardner to retain her leadership position despite allegedly being aware of the supposed affair for months. The claims placed Gardner’s personal life and leadership under intense public scrutiny.
Wright said that representing Australia as a role model brought a responsibility to maintain a high moral standard. She also questioned why Cricket Australia had not said anything publicly and asked whether its silence meant it supported the actions of Ashleigh and Georgia. Gardner said she could “understand” her ex-wife’s perspective. The controversy came as Gardner remained an important figure in Australian cricket, having won the Belinda Clark Medal twice. The award is presented to Australia’s best women’s player.
Gardner has now admitted that she was “surprised” and “naive” about the amount of media attention the story received. “I certainly didn’t expect the situation to take the path that it did, or to become as public as what it did. But I also understand that everyone has their own way of dealing with difficult situations,” she said. She explained that the period had given her time to reflect on what happened and have conversations with the people she needed to, including internally, while focusing on moving forward for the team. She said that was the most important thing.
Despite the public reaction, Gardner said the Australian dressing room had remained supportive. She believes her teammates still see her as a good person who made poor decisions. “I know deep down (my teammates) still think that I’m a good person and I’ve just made some poor decisions. I guess that’s the best thing, and being able to reflect on that has been really important for me,” she said. Gardner’s comments reflect her focus on accepting what happened, learning from the period and moving forward with the team. Australia Women will take on Bangladesh on Friday in the first of three ODIs to be played in Brisbane. Gardner now hopes to leave the difficult period behind while continuing her responsibilities as a player and leader for Australia and representing Australia at the highest level.
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