Phoebe Litchfield says Australians tracking ‘amazingly well’ for World Cup

An Australian young gun has weighed in on her team’s tilt for a World Cup four-peat as a trans-Tasman series offers early clues.

Phoebe Litchfield says Australia is primed for its tilt at four consecutive T20 World Cup titles with any “rust” to be dealt with in this week’s series against New Zealand.

The White Ferns touched down in Mackay ahead of the first of three T20s beginning Thursday, with Litchfield saying it would be ideal preparation against a “formidable side”.

Australia will travel to Dubai days after the series for two warm-up matches before their World Cup begins against Sri Lanka in Sharjah on October 5.

Litchfield said the relocation from Bangladesh, where Australia toured earlier this year, due to political turmoil, had made the best of a bad situation with a relatively similar climate and pitches expected in the UAE.

The 21-year-old said the Australians would undergo heat acclimation training in Queensland to prepare for oppressive temperatures.

Phoebe Litchfield expects she will continue in a middle order role during Australia’s T20 World Cup campaign next month. Picture: Pankaj Nangia / Getty Images

“It’s sort of the best of the worst situation in a way, I think it’s really disappointing not to go to Bangladesh, I know how much they were looking forward to it, but I think Dubai offers as much as they can,” Litchfield told reporters on Tuesday.

“It’s going to be hot, but not too dissimilar to Bangladesh, so our preparation continues the same.”

Litchfield has played 36 internationals in all formats and is firmly cemented in the T20 middle order, but this will be her first World Cup after missing selection for Australia’s three-peat triumph in South Africa in February last year.

“I’m so excited – I’ve been part of the squad for a bit, but the energy and the excitement around a world tournament hits different. I’m super pumped to get over there,” she said.

“We’ve had A really good preparation, we’ve had some time off … each of us have played either in England, in some practice matches or against India A.

Litchfield says Tahlia McGrath is ‘smoking’ the ball to all parts after starring as captain against India A during a series in August. Picture: Cameron Spencer / Getty Images

“I don’t think (there will be any rust) … even if there is, this is the time to do it, right? But I think the way our team has prepared individually … you see people playing all over the globe, smashing it, and even just in the nets today, they’ve been playing amazingly.”

Litchfield said all-rounders Tahlia McGrath and Annabel Sutherland looked in ominous form with the bat as they prepared for a New Zealand side featuring several “game winners”, including captain Sophie Devine, Suzie Bates and Melie Kerr.

The left-hander from Orange in regional NSW said it was special for her to be playing in front of country fans at Mackay’s Great Barrier Reef Arena.

“It’s so amazing, personally being from the country myself, I know how amazing it is when professional sides come out and play in the country, and this facility is probably one of the best in Australia,” Litchfield said.

“I think the way that country people get around their sport … it doesn’t come around too often, so when big games like this come to the area, they do get around it.”

Originally published as Phoebe Litchfield says Australians tracking ‘amazingly well’ for World Cup