Arabic version: غاردنر تحتفظ بمنصب نائبة قائدة أستراليا بعد الكشف عن العلاقة

According to ABC News, Ash Gardner will remain vice-captain of Australia’s women’s cricket team after an affair with teammate Georgia Voll contributed to the breakdown of Gardner’s marriage to ex-wife Monica Wright.

Gardner apologised in an Instagram post for the pain caused by the separation and said she was grateful the Cricket Australia Board had supported her continued leadership. She said she looked forward to supporting teammates in the season ahead and requested privacy for those involved.

Wright had publicly questioned Cricket Australia’s response, pointing to what she described as a clear power imbalance in a relationship between a senior member and a junior player. She also questioned Gardner’s continuation as vice-captain.

Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg said the organisation had been aware of the relationship before it appeared in the media. He said Gardner remained “a highly regarded leader in our system” and that the CA board makes leadership decisions.

Greenberg said Cricket Australia would introduce additional guardrails for disclosed player relationships where an actual or perceived conflict of interest could arise. He said Gardner would not be involved in matters such as selection where such conflicts needed to be removed.