Muruwari star Ash Gardner has capped a strong individual season, recognised with individual awards by both Cricket Australia and the International Cricket Council.
The allrounder has been awarded the Lord's Taverners Indigenous Cricketer of the Year for the third time as part of Cricket Australia's 2022-23 State Cricket Awards, whilst also receiving the ICC Player of the Month award for February, 2023.
The awards recognise Gardner's integral role in Australia's women's team, which secured a record sixth T20 title for Australia in the recent ICC Women's T20 World Cup in South Africa.
She started the tournament in fine fashion with the ball, collecting a match-winning and career best five wicket haul against New Zealand whilst making instrumental contributions with both bat and ball throughout the tournament, including in the Final against South Africa at Newlands.
Gardner's 110 runs at an average of 36.66 (strike rate 119.56), and 10 wickets at an average of 12.50 (economy 6.25) earned her Player of the Tournament honours.
Former Zimbabwe international and ICC Player of the Month voting panel member, Pommie Mbangwa said Gardner's performances in the tournament came at crucial times throughout the tournament, putting the Australian women's team in a strong position to secure the title.
"In a month where many of her compatriots put up good performances and saw their team rewarded with another title, Ashleigh's performances came at critical times and essentially ensured that they won a semi-final and the Final," Mr Mbangwa said.
"She showed herself a player with the temperament for crunch situations which is a wonderful characteristic to possess."
Gardner's Lord's Taverners Indigenous Cricketer of the Year Award award is her third, having previously won this award in the 2014-15 and 2019-20 seasons.
The award acknowledges her remarkable performances over the past 12 months, including her form for the Sydney Sixers in the Women's Big Bash League.
The WBBL|08 Player of the Tournament scored 339 runs at 30.82, second only to teammate Ellyse Perry (375 runs), and took a tournament-high 23 wickets at an average of 15.09, polling 33 votes to finish eight votes ahead of Brisbane Heat allrounder Amelia Kerr.
Her all-round form lead her hometown Sixers to the top of the WBBL ladder, finishing with 11 wins from 14 matches.
Australian national selector Shawn Flegler said following Gardner's success at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Gardner's work-ethic took her game to 'another level'.
"It was an outstanding season from Ash from both bat and ball," national selector Shawn Flegler said this week. "I think she's the fittest she's ever been as well," Mr Flegler said.
"She took some time off after the Commonwealth Games to come back and have a little bit of a break, work on her fitness and her game, and it's just gone to another level.
"She's worked really hard on her game for a number of years and now she's seeing those results."
Gardner will next take the field for Australia in the upcoming Women's Ashes series, which begins in on Nottingham on Thursday 22 June.
