Ashleigh Gardner is the country's most explosive batter, but finds herself more at home in cricket's longer formats.

It might sound paradoxical on the surface, but it could be one of the keys to Australia retaining the Ashes.

The reigning Belinda Clark Medallist as Australia's best player in 2023, Gardner is the first to admit 2024 was not her best year with the bat.

She passed 20 just twice in this summer's WBBL, off the back of a T20 World Cup where she made 12, 6, 7no and 6.

But in the past month Gardner has turned her batting back around, posting half-centuries against India and New Zealand.

The 27-year-old was crucial again in Australia's Ashes opener on Sunday, holding the team's pursuit of 206 together with an unbeaten 42 at North Sydney Oval.

"T20 cricket is such a funny one. It's so fickle, you play one bad shot, you're out. And you've got to go really quickly," Gardner said.

"I find batting in the middle order in this team in ODI cricket, I have more time.

"That's something I have tried to remember when I am out in the middle - I do have more time than sometimes I think. It's also knowing I can catch up when needed."

Sunday's win put Australia 2-0 up in the multi-format series, with two points up for grabs in each of the three ODIs and T20s and four available in the MCG Test.

As current holders of the Ashes, the three ODIs at the start of this series are golden for Australia given the 50-over format is their strongest.

A win at Junction Oval on Tuesday would mean Australia would need to only win two more matches, or secure victory in the Test, to retain the trophy.

And in Gardner, Australia have their tempo-setter in the middle order.

She produced the shot of the match at North Sydney, hitting spinner Sophie Ecclestone back over her head for six, while hitting five other boundaries.

Crucially too, Gardner scored off almost half of the 44 balls she faced.

"Being able to score frequently is something I tried to focus on," she said.

"The conditions were tricky and I never felt I was properly in.

"As soon as you get bogged down, it seems like it's even tougher to get off strike.

"If there was a ball I could hit to the boundary, I was trying to be really proactive with that. To my credit that is what I do well.

"I feel like when I am doing that, that's when the innings flows. Where if I am a bit of a sitting duck, I am always chasing the game."

Gardner's runs also came after she took 3-19 off 6.1 overs, building pressure with her off spin and removing veterans Heather Knight and Nat Sciver-Brunt.