SEAMLESS SWITCH
Litchfield said she will continue to back her reverse-sweep despite the dismissal on 88. © Getty
A fortnight ago, Phoebe Litchfield was at Lord’s, busy soaking in a T20 title win at the Women’s Hundred while being Northern Superchargers’ central figure in triumph. Her tally of 292 runs, best for the season, came at a strike rate of 157.83, the third best for the season. On Sunday (September 14), she had to switch gears as Australia played their first ODI against India in the lead up to the 50-over World Cup.
The response to the task appeared seamless. Litchfield hit 14 fours enroute to a knock of 88 (80), and yet came away with a valuable lesson about the slightly longer format.
“That was the biggest thing that I learned today, that my brain was probably going a bit quicker than it needed to, especially for the format – 50-over cricket’s a long game,” Litchfield said of the switch from the Hundred to ODIs.
“Knowing that you’ve got a lot of time, (you) can pace your innings in that sense. But equally, we want to move the game forward and play an attacking brand of cricket, so I’ve just got to find the balance between that.”
Litchfield was primed for her third ODI century, and second in India after scoring one at the Wankhede in January 2024. She fell 12 short after miscuing a reverse sweep against Sneh Rana.
“I just tried to take the game on and get the team ahead of the rate… I probably got a bit fixated on the reverse (sweep), but I back that shot.
“It’s so great batting with the skipper, Ellyse and Beth, it makes my job very easy. It’s nice to have a calm head out there. Sometimes my head’s racing, but they’re masters of their craft, they’re really good at starting and keeping me going but also batting ridiculously well (themselves),” Litchfield added.
While Litchfield adjusted to the change in formats, the visitors on the whole, had to account for the humid weather conditions in New Chandigarh. Having batted 38 deliveries, Ellyse Perry retired hurt in the middle of Australia’s chase after struggling with calf cramps. Annabel Sutherland too spent time away from the heat while Australia bowled.
“It was hot and I think the humidity adds a different layer to that,” Litchfield said. “We’re just getting used to it. We did a bit of heat acclimation, but your body says no sometimes.”
Australia have a two-day break to cool their heels before the second ODI on Wednesday (September 17) at the same venue.
© Cricbuzz
