Australian all-rounder Ash Gardener has been cleared to play the historic day-night women's Ashes test at the MCG, starting on Thursday.
The Muruwari allrounder missed all three T20 games in the multi-format series with a calf strain, with concerns she would also be unavailable for the test match.
Both Gardener and captain Alyssa Healy moved well with other team mates during a training session at the MCG on Tuesday afternoon, doing multiple laps of the ground at varying intensity levels.
Speaking before training, coach Shelley Nitschke confirmed Gardener was fit to play however doubts remained over Healy, who is battling a stress injury in her foot and has been mostly confined to a moon boot.
After completing running, batting, and bowling training without issue, Gardener looms as a vital player after her stunning century in the final ODI match, along with four wickets in the series.
Spin has played a key role Australia's six victories in the multi-format series so far, however the MCG wicket been conducive to seam bowling in the previous matches so far this summer.
"We certainly look at what the pitch has played like in whether it's Shield and the Test match, and then considering the pink ball as well and what that brings to the game," Nitschke said.
"So we certainly do look at the results and how the wicket has played in the men's game, because there's been no female longer format played here. And then obviously use, what's happened in the white-ball series as well as some intel to how we're matching up."
Gardener's 12 wickets in Nottingham - including 8/66 in the fourth innings of the match - still looms large in recent memories, and despite her injury her role as the spinning all-rounder is crucial for the balance of Australia's side.
She currently averages 31 with the bat and 21 with the ball across six tests.
The news looks less rosy for Healy, who has been given until the eve of the match to prove her fitness.
"The medical staff have been really supportive of (giving me) the opportunity to even push to play in this Test match," Healy said.
"We've done everything we possibly can to get myself in a position to put my hand up and say, 'I'm ready to go'."
Asked for a commitment, she stated: "I'm good to go".
"We'll make a final decision on what the XI looks like over the next little period ... but I feel like I'm ready to go, so we'll wait and see what happens."
England have also had injury concerns of their own for the dead rubber, as they try to avoid an Ashes whitewash.
Veteran pace bowler Kate Cross has been ruled out of the Test with a back injury that kept her out of the ODI series and captain Heather Knight confirmed she would not play on Thursday.
