The Aussie women’s first international match in four months hit a speed bump before a ball had even been bowled.

Off-spinner Ash Gardner was ruled out of the first T20 against New Zealand after a nasty head clash with teammate Georgia Wareham during the warmups.

The Aussies were throwing a vortex around the outfield of the Great Barrier Reef Arena when the pair came together.

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Gardner hit the deck clutching at her jaw, while Wareham grabbed at her mouth. Gardner has a history of concussion, and was taken for a test before the call was made to pull her from the match.

She was replaced by Heather Graham. Wareham took her place in the team as planned.

The collision caused a slight delay in the toss. It’s Australia’s first international match since April.

“There was a little bit of chaos in the warm up,” skipper Alyssa Healy said after the toss.

“Two big bodies going at it in the warm-up game. Coaches would be proud, going hard on the ball.

“But this is a great opportunity for us to get out there as a team ahead of what is a really big eight months for us.”