Ash Gardner breaks her silence on the collapse of her marriage after ex-wife demanded she be stripped of cricket leadership roles over alleged affair

Australian women’s cricket vice-captain Ash Gardner has spoken out about swirling rumours of an affair with her younger teammate Georgia Voll following several weeks of silence. 

Her ex-wife Monica Wright, 30, recently called out Cricket Australia’s inaction over the potential conflict of interest arising from Gardner’s involvement in selection and decision-making for the team.

Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg spoke about the situation on SEN radio on Thursday, saying he will bring in ‘additional guardrails’ for personal relationships among team members and staff.

This was followed by Gardner taking to Instagram to issue a statement on Thursday evening. 

‘While my separation from my wife is a personal matter, I understand my current relationship status needed to be addressed by Cricket Australia given my position as vice-captain,’ Gardner wrote.

‘I am grateful that the CA Board has chosen to support my continued leadership. I look forward to playing a strong role as a leader and providing the best possible support for my teammates in the season to come.

‘I am grateful for the time Monica and I shared and sorry for the pain this has caused. I wish her nothing but happiness and success in the future.

‘I won’t be making any further public comment on this matter at this time and ask that the privacy of those involved is respected.’

Greenberg said CA oversees any team decisions and relationships were a personal matter, but that he was aware there could be a ‘perception’ of a conflict of interest.

‘In situations where there are some personal relationships (we will) make sure there are some additional guard rails so the perception of conflict (of interest) and I am talking about things like selection are handled appropriately.’

Gardner serves as vice-captain of Australia’s women’s team and captains the Sydney Sixers in the Women’s Big Bash League.

Her ex-wife alleged Gardner had an affair with fellow Australian player Georgia Voll, 22, during the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in India last year not long after the pair got married.

Wright questioned why Gardner had been permitted to retain senior leadership positions after Cricket Australia became aware of the situation.

‘I think if you’re privileged enough to represent your country and be seen as a role model, there’s a responsibility to hold yourself to a high moral standard,’ Wright told The Daily Telegraph.

‘What I can’t understand is why Cricket Australia hasn’t said anything publicly.

‘Does their silence mean they support the actions of Ashleigh and Georgia?

‘Captains are expected to set the standard, and that kind of conduct falls well short of it.’

Wright also claimed the controversy would have been treated more seriously had it involved members of the Australian men’s team.

She pointed to the treatment of late cricket legend Shane Warne, who was removed as Australia’s men’s vice-captain in 2000 following reports that he had sent explicit messages to a British nurse. 

Gardner, who was appointed co-vice-captain on January 28 alongside Tahlia McGrath, married her long-term girlfriend Wright in April 2025.

However, just months later, things started to fall apart while the team was in India for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.

A team source with knowledge of the situation says there was some awkwardness during that tour when Wright flew over to India to see her wife.

‘It was a little bit weird,‘ the insider said.

‘It was like something was a little bit off with Ash, but we thought it was because of the pressure of the World Cup.’

The insider said it was ‘just horrible’ when Wright arrived in India and Gardner didn’t seem like herself. 

Daily Mail understands that Gardner and Wright had a heart-to-heart after they returned to their Northern Beaches home in Sydney following the World Cup.

‘When they got home, [Gardner] goes, ‘Hey, look, can we talk?’ and she sat her down,’ the source claimed. 

Gardner allegedly disclosed to Wright why things had been ‘off’ during her visit to India, leaving Wright ‘shattered’ and ‘distraught’.

The conversation effectively marked the end of the couple’s marriage.