All-rounder Ashleigh Gardner has enlisted the help of star off spinner Nathan Lyon for advice on how best to bowl in longer-form cricket, ahead of this week's women's Test at Manuka Oval.
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The four-day Ashes clash between Australia and England is just the fourth Test in the women's game since 2017, and offers the home side a chance to retain the Ashes should they prove triumphant in Canberra.
And Gardner is leaving no stone unturned in her quest to bring her best to the unfamiliar format.
"I've spoken from a bowling perspective to Nathan Lyon a little bit and just to see what he does differently," Gardner said.
"It's just about being able to stack up dot balls and build that pressure. That's what brings wickets in Test match cricket, when you have a couple of maidens in a row then the batters feel like they need to then play a scoring shot.
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"In one-day formats you're always trying to score where in this it doesn't matter as much. From a bowling perspective it's just trying to bowl in partnerships which is what we always talk about.
"It's going to be hard trying to get a result in four days. With the line up that we do have and the squad that we do have there's definitely players in there that can take 20 wickets."
Gardner also hopes to use the slower nature of the Test to rediscover her best form at the crease after an indifferent summer with the bat which included four-straight WBBL ducks for the Sydney Sixers.
A half-century for NSW against Victoria before Christmas was a step in the right direction, and Gardner was determined to deliver a strong contribution this week.
"I can openly admit that I wasn't playing my best cricket - I probably wasn't in a great head space at the back end [of the Women's Big Bash]," Gardner said.
"I haven't batted in any of the games yet [but] in one of the practice matches I spent some time out in the middle so I guess I can take some confidence out of that, and I guess also reflect on the innings I played against India in the last Test."
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
