Australian all-rounder Ash Gardner has won her second Belinda Clark Award, narrowly beating out superstar teammate Ellyse Perry for the coveted prize.
During the Australian Cricket Awards in Melbourne on Wednesday evening, Gardner became the seventh cricketer to receive the accolade on multiple occasions, joining modern greats Karen Rolton, Shelley Nitschke, Meg Lanning, Beth Mooney, Lisa Sthalekar and Perry on the illustrious list.
The 26-year-old all-rounder, who also won the award in 2022, took more wickets than any other Australian woman during the voting period, claiming 56 scalps at 19.39. She also broke the all-time record for most wickets by a women’s cricketer in a calendar year, with her 58 dismissals in 2023 eclipsing Sophie Ecclestone’s 56 in 2022.
Gardner polled 147 votes across formats, while Perry and fellow all-rounder Annabel Sutherland were the next best with 134 and 106 respectively.
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2024 Belinda Clark Award Voting
Ashleigh Gardner — 147
Ellyse Perry — 134
Annabel Sutherland — 106
Phoebe Litchfield — 83
Alyssa Healy — 73
“I feel like my bowling’s probably been something that’s evolved over the last little period,” Gardner said.
“I feel like people always knew me as that big-hitter, or someone that just bowled dirty off-spin, but now I feel like I actually get up and over the ball and can take wickets in those crucial moments.”
Gardner was named Player of the Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa after taking ten wickets at 12.50 and scoring 110 runs at 36.66 during the tournament, helping Australia win its sixth title. She then created history by claiming 12-165 during last year’s Ashes Test at Trent Bridge, the best bowling figures by an Australian woman, toppling Betty Wilson’s 11-16 at Junction Oval in 1958.
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However, it was an uncharacteristically quiet year for Gardner with the bat, managing just one half-century during the voting period, July’s 65 against Ireland in Dublin.
“It’s been an interesting year,” Gardner continued.
“A lot of people probably think I’m more of a batting all-rounder, but over the past 24 months, I think my bowling has evolved a lot quicker than what I was thinking.”
Gardner also received this year’s Community Impact Award for her work with the Ashleigh Gardner Foundation, which helps provide meals for underprivileged children at schools in regional communities.
Meanwhile, Perry won the women’s ODI and T20I Player of the Year awards following a brilliant 12 months in the white-ball formats.
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