Gardner believes Australia still world's best ahead of India series
Ashleigh Gardner has insisted Australia remain the world’s best team despite their back-to-back World Cup exits, confident another overhaul is not required to win back cricket’s two major global trophies.Winners of every T20 and ODI World Cup between 2018 and 2023, Australia are now without either trophy after semi-final exits in both events in the past 15 months.Related
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Australia will return to the field in 50 days at the SCG, with a blockbuster home multi-format series against ODI World Cup champions India in February and March.That series will be followed by another multi-format series in the West Indies, before the first chance to reclaim a major prize with the T20 World Cup in England in June.When Australia were shocked in the T20 World Cup semi-finals by South Africa in 2024, it prompted a concerted effort to be more attacking with their batting.The result was an historic domination of England in last summer’s home Ashes, winning all three T20Is, all three ODIs and the Test match at the MCG.This year’s semi-final defeat to India in the ODI World Cup was largely down to ill-discipline, with several spilled catches costing the Australians dearly.Australia are yet to have a large-scale full-squad review of that exit, with that likely to come when the team regathers in February. But Gardner said that meant a focus would likely be on performing under pressure, rather than bigger changes to Australia’s approach.”I think there’s not going to be too many dramatic changes,” Gardner told AAP. “I don’t think there necessarily needs to be. It’s more those small moments that I don’t think we won and kind of letting the game go in ebbs and flows.”That’s going to happen at times, but making sure that if those things do arise, we have the tools and capabilities to recognise it and the tools to get out of that. Everyone’s going to probably respond differently. But I would say overall it’s a pretty, standard thing that we’re trying to achieve.”Gardner will play a key role in Australia’s push to reclaim the trophies and has every chance to be vice-captain or captain when Alyssa Healy retires in the next four-year cycle.Outside of their semi-final defeats, Australia won every group game at both the T20 and ODI World Cups, and remain well clear in top spot of the ICC rankings in each format.All leaving Gardner’s eyes firmly on June and the chance to win back a trophy, from the moment this year’s World Cup ended.”You have to think about that, don’t you?” Gardner said. “The last couple of World Cups have been frustrating because of the way that they’ve ended.”But I can sit here comfortably and say that I still believe that we’re the best team. It’s just making sure that we’re showing that in those moments where it really matters.”So I’m certainly thinking about June next year, it seems like a long time away but it realistically isn’t and it’ll come around very quickly.”