Ash Gardner earmarked as next Ausrtalian captain for era after Alyssa Healy, Ellyse Perry
The end of an era is drawing closer in Australian cricket and a future without Ellyse Perry and Alyssa Healy is inevitable. Lachlan McKirdy examines what’s next — and the race to be captain.
In the next four years, the Australian ODI team is set to look very different. Alyssa Healy and Megan Schutt have both indicated they’ve played their last World Cup, and although you’d never write off Ellyse Perry, she will be 39 in 2029.
The core of the current team, led by Gardner, will still remain. Litchfield, Voll and Sutherland will go again, while Beth Mooney always seems to be in her prime. However, we’re likely to see some more young players put their hand up for international selection.
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Courtney Webb has been one of the form domestic batters over the past few years, while Lucy Hamilton is emerging as an elite left-handed fast bowling option. The real X-factor could be teenage sensation Caoimhe Bray, who already looks incredibly comfortable in the WBBL at only 16.
A few other names will remain around the squad like Georgia Wareham, Kim Garth and Tahlia McGrath, but with an eye to the future, it’s time for the Aussie team to bring some youth into the mix.
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The Sydney Sixers’ decision to make Ash Gardner their new skipper is a clear sign that the superstar all-rounder is on track to become Australia’s next captain, with Matthew Mott endorsing her as one of the “better leaders” this country will produce.
Since the inception of the WBBL, Ellyse Perry has captained the Sixers. It’s been a formidable partnership that has led to two titles and four minor premierships.
However, a year of change in 2025 has not only seen Mott arrive as coach, but also Perry hand the reins over to Gardner.
It’s part of a growing wave of young leadership taking over the WBBL, with 22-year-old Phoebe Litchfield (Sydney Thunder), 24-year-old Annabel Sutherland (Melbourne Stars) and 26-year-old Georgia Wareham (Melbourne Renegades) all captaining their sides this season.
Although Mott hadn’t arrived at the Sixers when the decision was made to elevate Gardner, it’s a choice he fully supports.
“Ash is developing into an outstanding leader for Australian cricket,” Mott said. “We’ve spoken about the maturity that she’s got over the last few years; her cricket IQ is as high as anyone in the world at the moment.
“She’s learned off some of the great leaders in Australian cricket. So, I think it’s just cherry ripe now for her to take this team. She’s got her own style about it.
“Obviously, some handy people around her in Ellyse and Alyssa (Healy), so she’ll leverage off them. The comms with the support staff have been exceptional, and long may that continue.”
For the first time since 2017, Australia currently holds neither the 50-over nor the T20 World Cup. Despite strong performances during the recent tournament, uncharacteristic mistakes plagued their semi-final defeat to India, and potentially signalled the end of an era and the start of a new period of transition.
The next four-year period will be defined by the appointment of a new captain, with Healy confirming that she has played in her last 50-over World Cup. While it won’t be an immediate replacement with the wicketkeeper still presently part of Australia’s best XI, attention will soon focus on her successor.
Tahlia McGrath is the frontrunner as the current vice-captain. However, the 30-year-old has found herself batting well down the order in ODIs, and has only averaged 22 with the bat since the start of 2024. Burdening her with the extra pressure of leadership in a team desperately trying to win a World Cup may be a decision selectors don’t want to make.
Gardner, 28, is two years McGrath’s junior, and with a wave of young players coming through, the all-rounder presents a long-term option.
Having handed Gardner her international debut back in 2017, Mott believes she is an obvious choice to one day become Australian captain.
“Her leadership was always there,” Mott said. “Even as a young player, I saw her in camps at the National Cricket Centre, and people gravitated towards Ash at an early age.
“She’s a really authentic leader. There’s no fuss about it, she’s a very straight talker, a very calm presence and is a very popular member to start with. She’s open to developing that side of the game; she’s done some great work with Belinda Clark as well.
“I think Ash is going to turn into probably one of the better leaders that has ever been produced in Australian cricket.”
It’s a move supported by Gardner’s Australian teammate, Phoebe Litchfield. The 22-year-old conceded she felt “nervous” that her own name was in the conversation for Australia’s next captain, but was overwhelmingly confident that Gardner could rise to the occasion.
“She’s a beautiful cricketer, but also a beautiful person on and off the field,” Litchfield said at the NRMA sponsorship announcement this week. “She leads through her energy and her actions.
“I think her name’s definitely up on the cards for the next skipper. I know she’d do a great job.
“She loves our team, and loves winning, and I think that’s a beautiful recipe for a good skipper.”
Originally published as Ash Gardner earmarked as next Ausrtalian captain for era after Alyssa Healy, Ellyse Perry
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