Ash Gardner ruled out of Australia’s match against New Zealand after violent collision with team-mate moments before first ball

There has been a last-minute change ahead of Australia’s opening Twenty20 match against New Zealand after a sickening head clash forced the Aussies to change tactics.

Ash Gardner was replaced by fellow all-rounder Heather Graham after colliding head-on with team-mate Georgia Wareham during the warm-up, sustaining a heavy blow to the jaw.

Gardner’s teammates immediately gathered to help her and appeared shocked by the incident. The all-rounder was seen leaning forward to recover from the impact and checked to see if all her teeth were secure.

Australian coach Shelley Nitschke described the incident as “hectic” during the first innings of the match.

“We came out and something happened in the warm-up and then Ash was on the ground, and unfortunately she was taken out of the game,” Nitschke told the Seven Network.

Ash Gardner ruled out of Australia’s T20 match after nasty head collision

The incident happened during the warm-up before the first pitch was thrown.

“She’s fine. It’s just a precaution.

“She is currently under concussion protocol and given that we have quite a bit of cricket ahead of us, we have ruled her out of the game.

“She took a test and passed, but you have to follow these protocols for a while.”

Cricket Australia said in a statement: “Ash Gardner suffered a blow to the jaw following a collision during the warm-up and is unavailable for tonight’s match.”

Gardner has a history of concussions and has previously been sidelined as a precaution due to head injuries.

Captain Alyssa Healy said: “There was a bit of chaos in the warm-up. Two big teams went head to head in the warm-up game. The coaches would be proud of themselves for putting their all into the ball.”