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ODI World Cup: Ashleigh Gardner’s match-winning 115 off 83 balls and Australia’s all-round depth powered the defending champions to a commanding 89-run win over New Zealand in their Women’s ODI World Cup opener at Holkar Stadium. After the game was over, Ashleigh said her mindset was to score runs off as many balls as possible.

"It was really special. Obviously, when I got out into the middle, I had some pretty clear plans just to get myself in, stick to my strengths, but also score off as many balls as possible. We always knew we needed a big total here; obviously, the venue is quite small, and the wicket was really good. So, making sure that once I got in, I really capitalised. Then knowing that we had 320 on the board, we had something to defend,” she said after getting the Player of the Match award.

Ashleigh’s knock - her maiden World Cup century and second in ODIs - was the centrepiece of Australia’s recovery. While hitting 16 fours and a six at a strike-rate of 138.55, she also became the first player to hit a century batting at number six or lower in a women's ODI World Cup.