Ashleigh Gardner reflected on Trent Rockets’ historic first Women’s Hundred title after they defeated Sunrisers Leeds by eight wickets, chasing down 92 with 46 balls remaining.
Speaking about the performance to the broadcasters, Gardner said, “It’s just one of those games of cricket that you know. If you ask me before the state of play if that’s kind of the way that I would have loved for the game to go, I would have absolutely loved it.”
She praised the team’s ability to find different match-winners throughout the campaign, saying, “Different people have stood up at different times, and it’s been a fantastic campaign to be a part of.”
Gardner added, “We’re not relying on one or two people to stand up in those moments. And as you saw today, Gaz was unbelievable, but people played their role, which as a captain, that’s all you can ask.”
The Rockets captain was also impressed with how her team handled the chase. “To watch us approach the innings that we did to really nullify the game in the powerplay, which is kind of what you want to do in those low totals when you’re chasing in a pretty important game as well. So yeah, I guess to do that was really pleasing to watch,” she said.
On her leadership and the dressing-room environment, Gardner said, “I think for me, it’s just instilling belief.” She added, “I’m never going to ride the emotion of what happens out on the field. You bowl a bad ball, we drop a catch, it is what it is.”
Gardner stressed the importance of learning from mistakes rather than dwelling on them. “You can’t always just go back to those moments and have to reflect on them, but I think I always see it as a learning opportunity,” she said.
She continued, “I feel like we’ve played some fantastic cricket out there, and it’s just about giving the girls the belief that they’re talented and they’re there for a reason.”
Explaining her role as captain, Gardner said, “For me to do that, it’s just being able to back the people that I’ve got out on the field with me, which I guess has lent a hand to winning the trophy today.”
She also made it clear that the responsibility was shared across the group. “I just felt like we’ve been fantastic throughout. We’ve got so much experience within our side, so I’m able to lean on different people out there as well. So it certainly hasn’t been just on me,” Gardner said.
Asked about the moment that pleased her most, Gardner said, “Well, it’s probably hard to pinpoint one moment. People playing different roles.”
She highlighted Sophie Luff’s contribution, saying, “Watching someone like Luffy come in was absolutely brilliant.” Gardner added, “She really stepped up. She’s changed her game so much, and she really just takes the game on.”
Praising the impact of her aggressive batting, Gardner said, “I guess just took a lot of pressure away from our middle order.” She was also impressed by her continued development, saying, “Just to see that for someone of her age and her experience to keep wanting to get better.”
Gardner then turned her attention to Sophia Dunkley, saying, “She has just taken the competition by storm. Certainly really proud of her as a friend. Just watching her perform on the biggest stage has been really pleasing to watch.”
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The post “Different People Have Stood Up”: Gardner Hails Trent Rockets’ Team Effort After Maiden Women’s Hundred Title appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.
