Gardner keen to ‘bat for longer periods’ to fulfil Test dream

Gardner was on the brink of earning her maiden Baggy Green for the day-night Test in Sydney in November 2017, during the previous Ashes series, before being edged out on match eve, as Australia opted for an extra pacer.

Having had the time to reflect on the missed opportunity, Gardner is now determined to do everything she can to make sure the outcome is different this time around. "I've had plenty of time to think about what I could have done better to have debuted," Gardner told cricket.com.au.

"Speaking to coaches and things like that, hopefully I'm not too far away from being in that Test team. It [Test match for Australia Women] only comes around once every two years, and only eleven people can play, which is quite hard, but it's a professional sport at the end of the day. You have to prove to the people that select these teams that I can do it, and I am willing to adapt the way that I play to be in that team."

Explaining further on that need to be adaptable, Gardner said her aim would be to bat for longer periods. Gardner has developed quite the reputation of being a quick scorer in her limited-overs career, with strike-rates of 122.34 in ODIs and 129.70 in T20 internationals.

"If I want to play every format, it's about learning how to bat for longer periods, because my main goal would be to get a Baggy Green and be able to play a Test match," she said.

"It's about being able to prove to the coaches that I can bat time and it's not all about trying to find the boundaries, that I can play a couple of different roles.

"I can never shy away from what I naturally do, and I think that's one thing that the coaches have always told me, to not shy away from that. But rather than doing it straight away, it's just picking the right time to do it, and in between balls that I can be attacking on, being conservative and playing the right shots.”

Gardner, who would become Australia Women’s 174th Test cricketer should she receive her cap, said that it would be a dream come true. "Receiving a Baggy Green would be a dream come true," she said. "Playing for your country is one dream I've been successful in doing, but receiving my Baggy Green would just be the cherry on top, and it's something that I would cherish forever."