Teenage prodigy Phoebe Litchfield and former Irish international Kim Garth earn maiden Australian call-up

Teenage prodigy Phoebe Litchfield and former Ireland international Kim Garth have earned their maiden call-up to the Australian team.

Nic Savage

@nic_savage1

3 min read

November 22, 2022 - 12:48PM

Phoebe Litchfield of the Thunder. Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

Sydney Thunder batting prodigy Phoebe Litchfield has earned her maiden call-up to the Australian team, named in a 15-player squad for December’s T20 tour of India.

Australia will travel to the sub-continent next month for a five-match series against India as the Commonwealth Games champions begin preparations for the 2023 T20 World Cup in South Africa.

Litchfield and Melbourne Stars all-rounder Kim Garth, who previously represented Ireland in 35 ODIs and 51 T20Is between 2010 and 2019, were named in the Australian squad for the first time. Hobart Hurricanes all-rounder Heather Graham, who is yet to make her T20I debut, was also included.

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Adelaide Strikers spinner Amanda-Jade Wellington has been dropped, while Brisbane Heat wicketkeeper Georgia Redmayne and Sydney Sixers batter Erin Burns also missed out.

“These five matches form an important part of the team’s preparations for the upcoming T20 World Cup in South Africa as well as providing an opportunity for some players to gain some experience in Indian conditions,” national selector Shawn Flegler said in a statement.

“India will be a good test; they’re a strong side and the two teams have had some good battles in recent times.”

Sixers wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy will captain Australia for the first time, with incumbent skipper Meg Lanning still unavailable for selection as she continues her indefinite break from the game.

The Australians will also be without veteran batter Rachael Haynes, who announced her retirement from international cricket in September, while Adelaide Strikers skipper Tahlia McGrath has been named vice-captain.

“Without Meg and Rachael, this series will provide opportunities for players particularly in the top order, so we’re looking forward to seeing who puts their hand up,” Flegler said.

“Alyssa will get the chance to lead the side in Meg’s absence which is exciting, and Tahlia will no doubt take plenty from being her deputy. She’s worked hard on developing that side of her game and thoroughly deserves the opportunity.”

Alyssa Healy of Australia. Photo by Hanna Lassen/Getty Images

Litchfield, who made her WBBL debut in 2019 as a 16-year-old, was earmarked as a future Australian cricketer from a young age.

The left-hander became a stalwart for the Thunder and the Breakers while juggling school and university commitments, earning a call-up to the Australia A squad earlier this year.

The teenager proved her worth by finishing the three-match series against England A as the highest run-scorer, cracking back-to-back fifties in Canberra.

“I look at the top-order for Australia, and they’re amazing,” Litchfield told news.com.au earlier this year.

“It’s going to take a lot more runs to put my name up, or for a few people to retire I think for me to get an opportunity.

“I’d love to be playing cricket for Australia. It’s one of my goals, and I think if I can keep getting better, opportunities will come up.”

Litchfield was the Thunder’s highest run-scorer this season, plundering 280 runs at 23.33 with two fifties.

“The really pleasing thing for Pheobes is she’s not getting too distracted or caught up in all the commentary,” Haynes told news.com.au last month.

“It’s speaking for itself at the moment, in terms of her putting some performances on the board. She’s certainly not alone in doing that, and that’s really exciting for the game.”

Phoebe Litchfield represented Australia A earlier this year. Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images

Garth, born in Dublin, made her international debut in 2010 as a 14-year-old before becoming a stalwart of the Irish national team.

The right-hander, named Ireland‘s women’s player of the decade, scored 1210 runs and claimed 65 wickets for the country of her birth before relocating to Australia in 2020.

Garth obtained permanent residency soon after, making her eligible to represent Australia under International Cricket Council regulations.

“The ultimate reason I made the decision (to move to Australia) was because I wanted to play cricket for a living,” she told cricket.com.au last year.

“To be on a full-time contract and play WNCL and WBBL as a local and play cricket for a living so I didn’t have to have another job like I did back home.

“If there comes a time where I’ve had a couple of good seasons and I’ve qualified as a local, if an opportunity came (to play for Australia) that’d be awesome.”

Garth, named the Stars’ Player of the Year in 2021, scored 115 runs and claimed 12 wickets in the WBBL this summer.

The first T20 between India and Australia gets underway at Mumbai’s D.Y. Patil Stadium on Saturday, December 10, with the first ball scheduled for 12.30pm AEDT.