Gardner heroics hand Australia comeback victory

A brilliant half-century from Ashleigh Gardner has seen Australia overcome a top-order collapse to claim a comfortable six-wicket victory over New Zealand in the opening T20I in Hamilton.

After Jess Jonassen (3-26) restricted New Zealand to 6-130 at Seddon Park, despite a 31-ball 40 from Amy Satterthwaite, Australia's hopes of celebrating their release from quarantine with a first-up win looked in peril when a stunning start with the ball from Jess Kerr (2-17) and Frances Mackay (1-25) left the tourists reeling at 3-14.

Image Id: 84713C40EAD340C6B74AEDB8A6ECCDC6 Image Caption: Alyssa Healy was dismissed in the first over // Getty

But a superb rescue job from Gardner, who smacked an unbeaten 73 from 48 balls, saw Australia canter home with 12 deliveries to spare, handing them a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Off-spinner Mackay drew first blood, restricting Alyssa Healy to two runs from the first five deliveries before the frustrated Australia opener chipped a catch to Satterthwaite at cover.

Next ball, Mooney (0) edged to first slip as Kerr struck with her first delivery of the game, then had a second in her next over, with Rachael Haynes (3) caught at mid-on.

Captain Sophie Devine elected to bowl the 23-year-old right-armer out early, as she put the squeeze on Lanning and Gardner, keeping Australia to 3-52 at the midway point of the innings.

Image Id: 42F7AFC1497B40718FB8051082654689 Image Caption: Gardner was the hero for Australia // Getty

Lanning, who was handed a life on 24 when Maddy Green put down a difficult chance at long off, was not as lucky the second time around when she attempted to hit leg-spinner Amelia Kerr down the ground, with Green holding on to a simple catch.

It brought Perry, playing her first international game since injuring her hamstring against the White Ferns during the T20 World Cup, to the middle with her team in deep trouble at 4-62, needing 62 from 50 deliveries.

Earlier, the Australian bowling innings had been significant for the fact that of the six bowlers employed by Lanning, Perry was not one of them.

In 120 career T20Is before Sunday's game, Perry had bowled in 116; three of those were against Pakistan in 2014 when she was carrying knee soreness and the fourth was against Ireland in 2015.

But the 31-year-old had a key role to play with the bat and found the boundary from the second ball she faced, while at the other end, Gardner smacked back-to-back sixes off spinner Kerr.

Perry was content to rotate the strike as Gardner unleashed, making New Zealand rue a tough chance put down by Green when the allrounder was on 30.

Her half-century came up off 37 balls, as she handed out the same punishment to the New Zealand attack that saw her named player of the T20I series against the White Ferns last September.

Gardner and Perry's unbeaten 71-run stand rapidly took the game away from the hosts, with Perry putting the icing on an emphatic win with back-to-back boundaries in the 18th over.

Image Id: CC9AFF1F8C3A47078D28BD0844293FEA Image Caption: Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner shared a match-winning stand // Getty

Australia restricted New Zealand early after sending the hosts in to bat, before Satterthwaite and Amelia Kerr (20) wrested back the momentum.

Tayla Vlaeminck, playing her first international since February 12 last year, provided heat up front with the new ball, regularly hitting 122kph.

She delivered a maiden to out-of-sorts Devine first-up and it took 10 balls for New Zealand opener Hayley Jensen to score the first run of the match.

Vlaeminck's fiery opening spell went without reward, but the introduction of left-arm spinner Jonassen into the attack paid off as she enticed Devine (17) into a slog sweep that picked out Gardner at deep midwicket.

Image Id: E240D76D98DC4B28A248597155444F7D Image Caption: Vlaeminck bowled with serious pace // Getty

Jensen (14) followed three balls later, with a top-edge that found the gloves of Healy.

Satterthwaite was given a life on 16 and Vlaeminck was denied a wicket when Healy put down a skied chance, and the former White Ferns captain capitalised, putting on 58 for the third wicket with Kerr.

It was Nicola Carey who secured the much-needed breakthrough in the 15th over, with Satterthwaite holing out to Perry on the long on boundary while attempting to accelerate.

Katey Martin (1) became Jonassen's third scalp and leg-spinner Georgia Wareham removed Kerr courtesy of an outstanding overhead catch from Haynes, with the White Ferns losing 3-5.

Late aggression from Green (15) and Brooke Halliday (11no) added crucial runs, helping their side to 6-130.

Image Id: 75BA08AF216146308E31607E6D807F56 Image Caption: Australia celebrate a Jonassen wicket // Getty

Vlaeminck (0-26 from four overs) went unrewarded in her international return but the sheer pace she delivered will have pleased the Australian camp.

The right-armer is not expected to play every game on this six-match tour, making it likely Australia will change their XI for Tuesday's second T20I at McLean Park.

One potential replacement is left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux, who was squeezed out of Australia's XI on Sunday to make way for Perry.

Australia XI: Beth Mooney, Alyssa Healy (wk), Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes, Ashleigh Gardner, Ellyse Perry, Nicola Carey, Georgia Wareham, Jess Jonassen, Megan Schutt, Tayla Vlaeminck

New Zealand XI: Sophie Devine (c), Hayley Jensen, Amy Satterthwaite, Amelia Kerr, Katey Martin (wk), Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Frances Mackay, Hannah Rowe, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair

CommBank tour of New Zealand 2021

Australia ODI & T20I Squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Hannah Darlington, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Molly Strano, Georgia Wareham, Belinda Vakarewa, Tayla Vlaeminck

T20I squad: Sophie Devine (capt), Amy Satterthwaite (vice-capt), Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Hayley Jensen, Fran Jonas, Amelia Kerr, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Frances Mackay, Katey Martin (wk), Thamsyn Newton, Hannah Rowe

ODI squad: Sophie Devine (capt), Amy Satterthwaite (vice-capt), Lauren Down, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Hayley Jensen, Leigh Kasperek - (games 2 & 3 only), Amelia Kerr, Jess Kerr, Frances Mackay, Rosemary Mair, Katey Martin (wk), Hannah Rowe (game 1 only), Lea Tahuhu

1st T20: Australia won by six wickets

2nd T20: March 30, McLean Park, Napier, 1pm AEDT

3rd T20: April 1, Eden Park, Auckland, 1pm AEDT

1st ODI: April 4, Bay Oval, Tauranga, 9am AEDT

2nd ODI: April 7, Bay Oval, Tauranga, 12noon AEDT

3rd ODI: April 10, Bay Oval, Tauranga, 12noon AEDT

All matches will be shown live in Australia on Fox Cricket and Kayo