Teen sensation Phoebe Litchfield revels in memorable WBBL debut
Litchfield walked in to bat with her team reduced to 25/3 in the sixth over, chasing 193 to win. She hit four boundaries in her 22-ball 26, and exuded confidence at the crease in her short stay.
The left-hander couldn't be more elated as she reflected on her WBBL debut. "I aspired to be in the Big Bash and now I'm playing in it, so it's a great experience and I'm just happy to be here," Litchfield told ESPNcricinfo. "It was crazy and felt like a dream. It was a great experience, having [Alex Blackwell] out there made me a bit more calm which was nice. It's a very good spot to watch, at the other end, Alex go at it."
Alyssa Healy, who scored 42 off 32 for Sixers, was mighty impressed with Litchfield's batting skills. "To see such class from a 16-year-old is really impressive," she said. "That's what's so great about this competition, these young girls are getting opportunities."
Litchfield has been looked at as one of the players to watch out for in near future, a belief which escalated further after New South Wales had posted a video of her batting in July. Her straight bat and perfect timing garnered attention from across the world, and the clip went viral soon.
Some pretty good shots here.
— NSW Women's Cricket Team (@CricketNSWWomen) July 9, 2019
Introducing Phoebe Litchfield. pic.twitter.com/IR1umhErky
"I sort of didn't know at the time," Litchfield said. "I thought they were just videoing our whole squad and then my friend was like 'nice video' and I was confused at the start, but it's got a lot of views which puts on a bit of pressure on."
Litchfield showed her wide range of shots, with her flick over mid-wicket and a deft-scoop over fine-leg being the most notable ones. She has the reverse-sweep in her armory too, a shot which is aided by her hockey skills – the other sport she plays at a representative level.
"I have to play hockey right-handed so it took me a while to get good at that. I didn't do a reverse sweep today, but the reverse comes out and that's sort of a hockey shot," she said.
Hayley Silver-Homes, another 16-year-old, was also a part of this game, and bowled to Litchfield during the chase.
