Ash Gardner sent home from Twenty20 tour of New Zealand with broken finger

Ashleigh Gardner will miss the remainder of Australia’s tour of New Zealand due to a damaged finger.

She suffered the harm whereas bowling in Australia’s series-opening T20 win, Sophie Devine thumping the ball again on the offspinner.

Gardner’s proper index finger was fractured when she tried to snaffle the return catch in Auckland.

Observe-up scans confirmed the break.

The star all-rounder is returning dwelling to Sydney, the place she’s going to bear additional scans as Cricket Australia maps out a plan to deal with the harm.

Charli Knott, an off-spinning all-rounder from Queensland who’s but to play for Australia in any format, has been added to the squad.

Legspinner Alana King shapes because the participant more than likely to interchange Gardner within the XI that defeated the hosts by eight wickets in Friday’s first T20.

However Knott’s call-up is an acknowledgement from selectors after a powerful summer season, headlined by a player-of-the-match effort in a one-dayer at Adelaide Oval wherein she scored 110 then claimed 2-37.

Australia have an opportunity to safe a sequence victory on Sunday, when the three-match T20 sequence continues in Tauranga.

AAP