'Fabulous' supercharged Aussie lords it at Lord's

West Australian

8 hours ago

Phoebe Litchfield, inspired by a night out watching a Michael Jackson musical, has delivered a thriller of an innings in the Hundred to leave one former England captain swooning about a "fabulous" cricketing talent.
The gifted 22-year-old left-hander may have made a mediocre start to the 100-ball-a-side tournament but has blossomed this past week as the event enters its business end with glorious innings at three English Test grounds.
Following her match-winning unbeaten 59 at her home Headingley ground against Birmingham Phoenix last week - her first half-century of the year - the Northern Superchargers' Australian star cracked a speedy 31 against Manchester Originals at the weekend.
And on Wednesday, she played perhaps her best innings yet at Lord's, a decisive 55no, featuring a bewildering variety of switch hits that made her seem nigh on impossible to bowl at for the London Spirit's careworn attack.
She hit 10 boundaries in her 38-ball knock and, along with Australian international teammate Annabel Sutherland (29no off 21), steered the Superchargers to 2-93 to earn a facile eight-wicket victory with 34 balls to spare.
Player-of-the-match Litchfield smiled afterwards about how much she'd enjoyed being taken out the previous evening with the rest of the squad into London's West End on a team trip organised by Superchargers captain Hollie Armitage to watch MJ The Musical.
Another teammate, experienced England bowler Kate Cross, also couldn't help noting how Litchfield had rediscovered a real joie de vivre belatedly in this year's edition.
"After Phoebe's 50 against the Phoenix, I asked her what she'd done differently, and she said, 'I remembered what it was like in my first year here in 2023 when I came over and had no pressure on me, and I had so much fun -- and I just wanted to have some fun today'."
It's certainly fun watching her now, with former England skipper Nasser Hussain describing her on Sky Sports as a "fabulous talent", while Cross noted her switch-hitting was a freakish gift.
"I imagine when you've so many options like her, it can sometimes get quite confusing as to what shot to play. I felt like maybe that was how she started the tournament, almost trying to show off all her skills, rather than being excellent at just some," said Cross.
"Now she's had the opportunity to showcase it all, and she's a bit of a freak when it comes to being able to switch it over extra-cover for four or six."
Sutherland is some talent too, with the duo's unbroken 76-run stand making it look all too easy. Earlier, Sutherland had also been key in reducing the Spirit to 8-90 with her 3-20.
Grace Harris holed out at long-on to Sutherland off the bowling of another Aussie Nicola Carey for just seven, while the Spirit's top-scorer was yet another of the green-and-gold army, with opener Georgia Redmayne compiling a run-a-ball 29.
Star performer in the day's other women's Hundred match was, naturally, an Australian too, as spinner Jess Jonassen took 4-10 off her 20 balls, not to mention a brilliant catch, only to find it still wasn't quite enough to at last earn Welsh Fire a first victory of the campaign over Southern Brave at Cardiff.
The visiting Brave eked out a three-wicket win with just one ball remaining to make it six wins out of six as they scrambled to their target of 112.