Gardner may not have taken up the team captaincy by then, but she was one of the vital cogs in a side that was struggling to buy a win. Named Australia’s Women Cricketer of the Year in two of the previous three seasons, she had firmly established herself as one of the world’s premier all-rounders. But during that WPL campaign, she struggled. In eight matches, she scored only 120 runs and picked up seven wickets. Her team, by then, had lost all eight league games and eventually finished with the wooden spoon.
