{"id":522,"date":"2025-12-30T15:54:54","date_gmt":"2025-12-30T10:24:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/?post_type=news&#038;p=522"},"modified":"2026-01-23T18:29:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T12:59:13","slug":"australia-the-best-team-in-women-cricket","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/news\/australia-the-best-team-in-women-cricket\/","title":{"rendered":"Australia Still the Best Team in Women Cricket"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Australian women\u2019s cricket team finds itself in unfamiliar territory: a trophy cabinet missing both the T20 and ODI World Cup titles.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After a dominant era of global supremacy between 2018 and 2023, back-to-back semi-final exits have raised questions about the team\u2019s invincibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, star all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner remains steadfast, insisting that while the trophies are gone, Australia\u2019s status as the world\u2019s best team is not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Consistency Amidst Heartbreak<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gardner\u2019s confidence is rooted in the numbers. Despite the disappointment of tournament play, Australia has remained remarkably consistent, maintaining its top spot in the ICC rankings.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Over the last 12 to 18 months, we&#8217;ve only lost about two games, and I think the two games that we lost were both in semi-finals,&#8221; Gardner noted. To her, these weren&#8217;t signs of a systematic collapse, but rather a failure to execute in isolated, high-stakes moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The semi-final losses, first to South Africa in the 2024 T20 World Cup and more recently to India in the ODI World Cup, were attributed to &#8220;ill-discipline&#8221; and a failure to win &#8220;small moments.&#8221; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gardner believes the path back to the podium doesn&#8217;t require a radical overhaul but rather a sharpening of the team\u2019s mental resilience under pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Indian Challenge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The road to redemption begins in 50 days at the SCG. Australia is set to host a blockbuster multi-format series against the newly-crowned <a href=\"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/women-cricket-teams-with-most-icc-tournament\/\">ODI World Cup champions<\/a>, India.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This <a href=\"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/series\">series<\/a> represents more than just home-ground advantage; it is a chance to settle a brewing rivalry. India arrives with immense confidence after their recent global success and their semi-final victory over the Aussies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gardner acknowledges the threat but views the home conditions as a tactical edge. &#8220;They&#8217;re also coming over to our conditions, which we know better than them,&#8221; she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The focus for the squad, which will regather in February, will be on &#8220;performing under pressure&#8221; rather than changing their fundamental style of play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Looking Toward June<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beyond the home summer, Gardner\u2019s eyes are firmly fixed on June\u2019s T20 World Cup in England.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With veteran leader Alyssa Healy entering the latter stages of her career, Gardner is increasingly seen as a future captaincy candidate. Her leadership will be vital as the team navigates this transition period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ultimately, Gardner&#8217;s message is one of calm authority. She believes the tools for success are already within the squad.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By refining their decision-making in &#8220;ebbs and flows&#8221; of the game, Australia aims to prove that their recent exits were merely a stumble, not a fall from grace. As Gardner puts it, it\u2019s simply about &#8220;putting those pieces together&#8221; to bring the silver back home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":523,"template":"","tags":[267,268],"ppma_author":[489],"class_list":["post-522","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-australia-women-cricket-team","tag-best-team-in-women-cricket"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/522","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=522"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}