Not many dimensions away across the multiverse, there is a world where Ashleigh Gardner is already Australian captain across formats. When Meg Lanning surprisingly called time on an international career in 2023 when she might still have had years to play, selectors had the chance to shift the team towards the next generation. It felt regressive to instead put hierarchy first by appointing Alyssa Healy, two years older than Lanning, leaving the team in an era where those two plus Ellyse Perry have been dominant in name, fame and personality for well over a decade.
Gardner was 26 at the time, the right sort of age to launch into something new, and operating at her peak. Earlier that year she had bagged half a million US dollars for a T20 stint in India, 12 wickets in a Test at Trent Bridge, and was not out in the chase to win a T20 World Cup final. She had graduated from useful bowler to genuine spinner to accompany her batting power, and regardless of appointment was already a leader by performance.
