Gardner hopes to see history made on trans-Tasman tour

Allrounder Ashleigh Gardner ended a 59-year wait when she became the second Indigenous woman to play cricket for Australia in 2017.

She is hoping the gap between the second and the third will be much shorter, with the prospect that new teammate Hannah Darlington will make her international debut in the next fortnight.

Darlington, a 19-year-old pace-bowling allrounder also from New South Wales, was named in a national squad for the first time when she was included in the 17-strong party for the three T20Is and three ODIs in New Zealand, beginning Sunday.

"I'm super pumped for her to be over here," Gardner said on Tuesday.

"We've obviously seen what she's capable of and how talented she is.

"It's awesome that she's reaping the rewards, being able to come over here and potentially be debuting and being the third ever female Indigenous player would be an absolute honour."

The first Aboriginal woman to play for Australia was Adnyamathanha woman Faith Thomas, who represented her country in a sole Test against England in 1958.

Murawari woman Gardner became the second when she debuted against New Zealand in a T20I at the MCG in early 2017, while she was just the third Indigenous player, male or female, to wear the Baggy Green when she played her first Test in 2019.

Darlington, a proud Kamilaroi woman, will face tough competition to break into the star-studded Australia XI, with her best opportunity coming when the trans-Tasman rivals play three T20Is in the space of five days.

Either way, Gardner can see how the tour will benefit her state teammate, who was named in the WBBL Team of the Tournament late last year after playing a key role in helping the Sydney Thunder win their second title.

"I know how much hard work she put in to get here over the past two years in the WBBL," Gardner said.

"Working closely with her through NSW I've seen all the hard work she's been putting in both from a cricketing perspective and a fitness and strength perspective.

"I'll have my fingers crossed that she does get to debut but I know how much she'll take out of coming over here on a tour like this as well."

Last month, Darlington and Gardner were part of the first domestic Australian team to field three Indigenous players in the same XI, when teammate Anika Learoyd made her NSW debut against Tasmania in Hobart.

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: March 28, Seddon Park, Hamilton, 5.10pm AEDT

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