Table of Contents
Phoebe Litchfield, the young Australian batter, has quickly made a name for herself in women’s international cricket since her debut in December 2022. She made her first appearance in T20Is in December 2022, followed by her ODI debut in January 2023 and her Test debut in June 2023. Litchfield set a record as the youngest player to score a half-century in the Big Bash League (BBL) across both men’s and women’s formats. Her impressive performances have also been showcased in the Women’s Hundred and the Women’s Premier League (WPL).
Emerging player of the year
A standout achievement in Litchfield’s burgeoning career is winning the ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year award in 2023, besting nominees such as England’s Lauren Bell. Since her international debut against India in a T20I series, Litchfield has become a crucial part of the Australian batting lineup, especially as some veteran players near retirement.
Also READ: Women’s Asia Cup 2024: Here are the complete squads of all 8 teams
Learning from Smriti Mandhana
In an exclusive interview with India Today, Litchfield discussed various aspects of her game and the significance of her jersey number 18. In 2021, Litchfield played alongside Smriti Mandhana for the Sydney Thunder and teamed up with Jemimah Rodrigues in the Northern Superchargers during the Hundred Women’s competition, using these experiences to enhance her skills.
“They were incredibly helpful. Both are amazing batters, and just talking about batting and how they score runs was beneficial. I discussed with Smriti the left-handed approach to batting, focusing on technique and power generation. Jemimah and I, being small in stature, talked about power and scoring in different areas, manipulating the field. I learned a lot from playing with them,” Litchfield said.
Jersey No. 18 and three favourite cricketers
Litchfield wears jersey number 18, a number revered in Indian cricket, worn by stars like Virat Kohli and Mandhana. Beyond these two, Litchfield also closely follows Yashasvi Jaiswal. “Many people know my jersey number is 18, but it’s not because of Smriti Mandhana or Virat Kohli, even though they are my favorite players. It’s hard to overlook Kohli. I also admire Yashasvi Jaiswal because he’s a talented left-handed batter,” Litchfield concluded.
