Australia will get an early look at one of their potential future national captains in the WBBL season opener after Ashleigh Gardner was cleared of a thumb injury to guide the Sydney Sixers.
Long-viewed as a potential leader of the Australian team, Gardner will steer a WBBL side for the first time on Thursday night with Ellyse Perry banned for slow over-rates.
Gardner hurt her thumb in Australia's final ODI win over the West Indies on Saturday, but scans cleared her of a break and she will start against the Melbourne Stars in the WBBL at North Sydney Oval.
Options regarding Australia's future captain has been a hot topic in recent years since the retirement of former vice-captain Rachael Haynes and Meg Lanning's absences.
Alyssa Healy has led the team on an interim basis while her deputy Tahlia McGrath is seen as next in line at age 27, when Healy and Lanning eventually bow out.
Beyond her, the 26-year-old Gardner is the other option for the next generation after acting as vice-captain to McGrath in Ireland this year while Healy was injured.
Gardner was touted as a future leader when she captained a Governor-General's XI in January, while she also led an Indigenous women's team on a tour of India in 2018.
The allrounder was appointed vice-captain of the Sixers last year, taking over from Healy with a view to the future.
"Being vice-captain is very different to being captain so I just have to wrap my head around that," Gardner said on Tuesday.
"I don't think it's a huge thing. It's for one game.
"It's certainly going to be nerve-wracking, but I'm just going to back myself and go with my gut when I don't really know what to do."
If Gardner was to one day captain Australia, the Muruwari woman would become the first Indigenous man or woman to do so in cricket.
Gardner said she had not given significant thought to her future leadership aspirations.
"It's probably something that when I was younger I always wanted to be the captain because you're leading the team," she told AAP.
"But anyone can lead and I guess that's part of my game that's probably grown over the last few years.
"Especially in the spin space, I've really tried to lead and drive those standards.
"It's certainly not something that I aspire to do. But I guess if I was ever given the opportunity to lead whatever side I would certainly grab it with both hands.
"I think it's just one of those things that it'll probably happen naturally.
"If they want me in that position great, but it's certainly not something that's driving me to be a really good player."
