The ex-wife of Australian cricket star Ashleigh Gardner has called for Gardner to lose her leadership roles following allegations she had an affair with a younger teammate.
Monica Wright, 30, has broken her silence over the collapse of her seven-month marriage to Gardner, who serves as vice-captain of Australia’s women’s team and captains the Sydney Sixers in the Women’s Big Bash League.
Wright alleges Gardner, 29, had an affair with fellow Australian player Georgia Voll, 22, during the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in India last year.
Neither Gardner nor Voll has publicly responded to the allegations.
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.
Monica Wright, (left) the ex-wife of Australian cricket star Ashleigh Gardner (right) has called for her to lose her leadership roles following allegations she had an affair with a younger teammate. Pictured together in April 2025
Wright, 30, has broken her silence over the collapse of her seven-month marriage to Gardner, who serves as vice-captain of Australia’s women’s team and captains the Sydney Sixers in the Women’s Big Bash League
‘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.
Cricket Australia rejected the suggestion that it had failed to address the situation, saying safeguards had been introduced to manage relationships within the organisation.
‘Cricket Australia ensures all relationships within our workforce comply with our Respect at Work policy,’ the governing body said in a statement.
‘This includes putting appropriate conflict-of-interest management arrangements in place to support leadership responsibilities and maintain the integrity of team processes.
Gardner, the Women’s ODI Player of the Year, poses during the 2025 Cricket Australia Awards
‘Otherwise, we consider this to be a personal and private matter.’
Cricket Australia did not directly answer questions about whether Gardner’s leadership positions were under review.
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.
Gardner who was appointed co-vice captain on January 28 alongside Tahlia McGrath, married her long-term girlfriend Wright in April 2025
The 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.
The split was especially devastating for Wright because, according to the source, the couple had been discussing plans to start a family.
‘They were about to go to the fertility clinic. They had a booking that Monica had to cancel,’ said the spy.
Gardner is understood to have moved out of the home the couple shared together in November, with Wright still living in their house.
‘Ash left one day. Monica came home and everything of Ash’s was gone, except for the rings,’ said the source.
‘She left the wedding rings in the cupboard. Just the box of wedding rings, and that was it.’
The Daily Mail understands that Gardner’s marriage breakdown sent shockwaves through the Southern Stars because Wright had been ‘around the team for five years’ and ‘knew them all’, according to the source.
‘Some of them are really good mates, and Monica has a very good relationship with a lot of [players] still. A lot of them are quite upset,’ added the insider.
‘She had messages from nearly all of the girls telling her how upset they were about it.’
The sport’s governing body is apparently aware of the marriage breakdown.
Our source claimed a disclosure was made to Cricket Australia’s National Selection Panel (NSP) when Gardner was appointed captain of the Women’s BBL team Sydney Sixers in November, shortly after her split from Wright.
She was later made co-vice-captain of the national team at the start of the year.
The Daily Mail contacted Cricket Australia, seeking comment and clarification.
Richard Hinds, the respected former Fairfax sportswriter who now serves as Cricket Australia’s senior communications chief, simply said: ‘Yeah, no comment on that.’
Gardner was also contacted for comment.
While the captaincy meetings were happening, the insider says that Gardner had attempted to smooth things over with Wright.
However, it is understood the relationship could not be salvaged.
Gardner and Wright met on a dating app in 2020, with the couple later proposing to one another in April 2024.
They tied the knot in a rustic ceremony in the Blue Mountains in April 2025.
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