Australia coach anoints new Sydney Sixers leader as a potential national captain as several international stars showcase their leadership prowess in the WBBL
Mott backs 'great thinker' Gardner for higher honours
Matthew Mott believes Ashleigh Gardner could become "one of the better leaders ever produced" in Australian cricket, saying the new Sydney Sixers skipper had all the attributes to one day lead her country.
Gardner enjoyed a dream start to her tenure as Sixers captain on Sunday, taking her best Big Bash figures, after taking the reins from Ellyse Perry this season.
Mott said while the change in leadership was already in the pipeline before he took over as Sixers coach earlier this year, the move made perfect sense to the former Australia coach, who watched Gardner's evolution during their six years working together in the national side.
"I think her leadership was always there, even as a young player, I saw her in some camps up at the National Cricket Centre and people gravitated towards Ash at a very, very early age," Mott told reporters in Sydney.
"First and foremost, she's just a really authentic leader, there's no fuss about it.
"She's a very straight talker, very calm presence, and is a very popular member to start with, so there's plenty to work with, and she's very open to developing that that side of her game as well.
"I know she's done some great work with (Australia great) Belinda Clark at various times as well.
"I think Ash is going to turn into probably one of the better leaders that has ever been produced in Australian cricket."
Mott was in charge of the Australian side when Gardner, now 28, made her international debut as a 19-year-old in 2017, bursting onto the international scene as an exciting young batter after a breakout WBBL season.
Since, she has evolved into one of the world's best off-spinners and allrounders, while she has also become a valued leader within the national side.
She served as vice-captain on a T20I tour of New Zealand in March when Tahlia McGrath was filling in for an injured Alyssa Healy, one of several times she stepped up as deputy.
How long Healy will remain in charge of Australia is unclear. As it stands the 35-year-old has committed to playing in the multi-format home series against India in February and March but she has not publicly divulged her plans beyond that.
However, when the time does come for her to call time on international cricket, Mott can see Gardner featuring prominently among the candidates to replace her as Australian captain.
"I do (think captaincy makes her a better player) … I think anyone who knows Ash over the last few years has just seen how much she's matured as a person," Mott said.
"I left (Australia) a few years ago, and she was developing as a leader, but she's genuinely one of the great thinkers of the game at the moment.
"She's hungry for knowledge, she's leveraging off the coaches as much as she can, and I think she brings a real calmness to the group, so that's been developed over a very long period of time, and I think she's in a great space to take this team forward.
"She's watched Ellyse do it for a long time, she's watched people like Meg Lanning and Rachel Haynes over the years, and I think she's drawn the best out of all of those things, and she's doing it her way.
"Her cricket IQ is as high as anyone's in the world at the moment.
"You don't have to be Einstein to work out that she's a potential leader down the track, as are a number of the players in that squad."
Gardner is one of a range of current Australian players and potential future leaders in charge of Big Bash teams this season, alongside 22-year-old Phoebe Litchfield at the Sydney Thunder and 24-year-old Annabel Sutherland at the Melbourne Stars.
McGrath, 30, has led Adelaide Strikers to twin titles, while Sophie Molineux and deputy Georgia Wareham, both in their mid-20s, were critical the Renegades' triumphant WBBL|10.
Mott meanwhile also paid tribute to Perry's decade-long tenure as Sixers' captain, which saw her lead the club to back-to-back titles.
He said the Big Bash's longest-serving captain remained a valuable resource for Gardner to draw upon as the team looks to make finals for the first time since the 2022-23 summer.
"Ellyse over 10 years has done an exceptional job and all these things you want to pass the baton on, and she's done that with grace, and certainly is very supportive of decision and was from all reports taken on that journey as well," he said.
Weber WBBL|11 Standings
| Team | M | W | L | T | N/R | NRR | Ded. | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
HUR
|
10 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0.662 | 0 | 15 |
|
2
STA
|
9 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0.863 | 0 | 11 |
|
3
SIX
|
9 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | -0.365 | 0 | 11 |
|
4
REN
|
10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.121 | 0 | 10 |
|
5
SCO
|
9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | -0.189 | 0 | 10 |
|
6
STR
|
9 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0.097 | 0 | 9 |
|
7
THU
|
9 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 1 | -0.296 | 0 | 7 |
|
8
HEA
|
9 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | -0.944 | 0 | 1 |
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
PTS: Total points