Gardner was ‘disappointed’, but backs new captainScott BaileyAAPFri, 13 February 2026 11:12AM
Ashleigh Gardner admits she was disappointed to miss out on the Australian captaincy, but has backed new skipper Sophie Molineux as a leader people want to play for.
Gardner was considered the front-runner for the top job when Alyssa Healy announced her retirement last month, after previously filling in as vice-captain.
Tahlia McGrath had loomed as the other chief option, having deputised for Healy 15 times, only for a run of poor form to leave bigger questions over her spot in the side.
But Molineux emerged as the selectors’ preferred pick to take over, after all three interviewed for the role and laid out their vision for the next era of the team.
“There was probably a period of time where I was disappointed,” Gardner told AAP.
“I was asked do you want the opportunity to go through the interview? And I was like, of course.
“A lot of it was about what type of vision did I have for the team. For me it was around just taking ownership and being a real driver for yourself.
“But you have this defence mechanism the whole time where you don’t want to get too caught up in it anyway.
“Naturally you’re still going to be disappointed by it. But I knew that there were obviously reasons why. And I think Soph is going to be amazing.”
Molineux will captain Australia for the first time in Sunday night’s T20 against India at the SCG, before taking over on a full-time basis in the West Indies next month.
The 28-year-old’s appointment comes at a critical juncture, after back-to-back World Cup semi-final defeats in the T20 and ODI formats left the Aussies without a major global trophy for the first time since 2017.
Molineux’s success in the T20 format was vital to her getting the role, with a World Cup in June and the Victorian having captained Melbourne Renegades to a WBBL title.
Gardner has also now joined McGrath as a vice-captain, in a similar way that Travis Head and Steve Smith share the role in the men’s team.
Either one of the allrounders are likely to be called upon to skipper at different stages, with Molineux still managing a troublesome knee that has sidelined her for large parts of the past three years.
“Now it’s about how does Soph kind of want to run the team and then how can we complement her with our strengths?,” Gardner said.
“I’ll seek feedback (on the captaincy interview) if I want it, but not necessarily on why I didn’t get it. It’s more so how I can have an impact on the group in a different space.
“I’m excited to see where Soph takes this side. I know how excited she is and her great qualities that she’s going to bring to this team.
“She can bring people together, which is an amazing quality of hers. She brings a lot of fun to the group and a lot of energy. So I’m sure a lot of it was around that.
“She always puts people first and then talks about them as cricketers. Everyone’s going to love her being the leader of this team going forward.”
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