Ash Gardner apologises on Instagram after relationship with teammate; Cricket Australia backs her vice‑captaincy
Ash Gardner apologised on Instagram on 13 August 2026 for the pain caused by her relationship with teammate Georgia Voll and thanked Cricket Australia for supporting her continued leadership.
The relationship between Gardner and Voll emerged publicly after Gardner separated from her ex‑wife Monica Wright, prompting Wright to speak out. Wright criticised Cricket Australia for not responding, saying there was “a clear power imbalance” when a senior member of staff has an affair with a junior, and arguing Gardner should not remain vice‑captain while questioning why CA had said nothing on the matter.
Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg, speaking on SEN on Thursday, said the board had been made aware of the relationship before it appeared in the press and that Gardner would remain vice‑captain. “Ash is a highly regarded leader in our system. The CA board make leadership decisions and have oversight over all leadership decisions,” Greenberg said. “Ash is our vice‑captain for a reason, because she’s highly regarded...”
On policy response, Greenberg said additional measures would be introduced where personal relationships had been disclosed to address perceived or real conflicts of interest. “What we will do is in situations where there are personal relationships is make sure there are additional guardrails, so the perception of conflict or conflict itself – talking about things like selection – are handled appropriately and respectfully,” he said. “We’ve got policies in place but we will put additional ones in place given Ash is now vice‑captain. If there are relationships that have been disclosed and they have been, then we will make sure that conflict – perceived or real – around selections are removed, so Ash is not involved in those things.”
Gardner addressed the matter in an Instagram post, saying she accepted the issue needed to be managed because of her role. “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,” she 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.”
Gardner offered an apology to Wright in the post and asked for privacy. “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 added that respect for all concerned was paramount and noted Cricket Australia’s existing respect‑at‑work policies: “It is a very personal matter for the player, and I think there’s a level of respect that needs to go with that. Cricket’s got very strong respect‑at‑work policies, so we’ve got a policy that’s been developed over time that can deal with these sorts of things.”
Cricket Australia has confirmed it will implement additional guardrails around disclosed personal relationships and has retained Gardner in the vice‑captain role; Gardner has stated she will not make further public comment and asked for privacy as the board’s measures are put in place.