Ash Gardner out of NZ tour with broken finger

Ashleigh Gardner will miss the rest of the Australian cricket team's tour of New Zealand due to a broken finger. She injured herself while bowling when Sophie Devine hit the ball back at her. Gardner fractured her right index finger while trying to catch the ball in Auckland. Scans confirmed the injury, and she is returning to Sydney for further assessment. In her place, Charli Knott has been called up to the squad. Knott is an off-spinning all-rounder from Queensland and has not played for Australia yet. Her selection follows a strong performance over the summer, which included a notable game where she scored 110 runs and took two wickets. The Australian team, which recently beat New Zealand by eight wickets in the first T20 match, will continue the series on Sunday in Tauranga. They have a chance to secure the series victory in this three-match T20 series.