Litchfield seizing every chance as dream debut awaits

Phoebe Litchfield is only a week into her first Ashes tour, but already the young batter is proving she is prepared to stick her hand up for any role that comes her way.

Litchfield is firming as one half of Australia's new-look Test opening partnership after being deployed in the position across both red-ball warm-ups the team has played in the past month.

Rather than being daunted at the prospect of facing England's new-ball bowlers when the Ashes gets underway at Trent Bridge on Thursday, Litchfield is hungry for the job.

And when she was asked to briefly don the wicketkeeping gloves on the morning of the final day of Australia's red-ball warm-up match in Leicester, she jumped at the chance.

Usual 'keeper Alyssa Healy sat out the third day after a knock to the finger on Saturday – a purely precautionary move – and the Aussies were taking no risks with star bat and back-up keeper Beth Mooney, who hit a century on Thursday's opening day.

So it was the young gun from Orange who happily stood behind the stumps for the opening delivery of the day which, as it turned out, was also the final ball of England's innings, as Georgia Wareham found the edge of Sarah Glenn's bat and Litchfield pouched a simple catch.

"They asked me and I was like, 'Yeah!' So pretty keen to put the gloves on," a laughing Litchfield told cricket.com.au after play.

"I was hoping for a bit of a longer stint, but I was happy with the one (ball)."

The three-day game against England A at Leicester was a learning curve for Litchfield, who will make her Test debut and don the Baggy Green for the first time if she is selected on Thursday.

Given there is no first-class domestic cricket for women in Australia and batters grow up on a diet of Big Bash and one-day state cricket, Litchfield has had limited exposure to the red ball prior to this Ashes training period.

With that in mind, her innings of 19 and 78 against England A provided valuable lessons.

"I think anytime you get out in the middle and do your role it helps and to score some runs today (is a confidence boost)," she said.

"(The key things are) decision making, temperament … you've got to have a good technique, but if you're driving balls that aren't there, it's dangerous.

"So it's just about playing smart shots and it's a mind game, I think I've realised.

"(You have to) play the long game. There's a lot of time in this format."

While Tests are new territory for Litchfield, she can draw upon her limited one-day international career, which started in dream fashion with back-to-back half-centuries against Pakistan in January.

If she does open the batting at Trent Bridge she will also have a familiar partner at the top of the order in one-day opener Mooney.

"She's great, she's got such a level head, she always knows what to say and she's an awesome human so it's a pleasure to share the crease with her," Litchfield said.

"She definitely is doing good things for my batting."

Likewise, there will be no shortage of support in the stands, with a large cohort of Litchfield's friends and family making the long journey to the United Kingdom in the hopes of seeing the 20-year-old capped in Baggy Green.

"I've got a whole circus coming over, to be fair," she said. "Got the whole clan and a few college mates as well.

"So it would mean a lot, not only to debut, but then to have all those people there as well.

"We'll see."

CommBank Ashes Tour of the UK 2023

Australia squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham

England Test squad: Heather Knight (c), Natalie Sciver-Brunt (vc), Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Alice Capsey, Kate Cross, Alice Davidson-Richards, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Danielle Gibson, Amy Jones, Emma Lamb, Issy Wong, Danielle Wyatt

Test: June 22-26 at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, 11am local (7pm AEST)

First T20I: July 1 at Edgbaston, Birmingham, 6.35pm (3.35am July 2 AEST)

Second T20I: July 5 at The Oval, London, 6.35pm (3.35am July 6 AEST)

Third T20I: July 8 at Lord’s, London, 6.35pm (3.35am July 9 AEST)

First ODI: July 12 at The County Ground, Bristol, 1pm (10pm AEST)

Second ODI: July 16 at The Rose Bowl, Southampton, 11am (7pm AEST)

Third ODI: July 18 at The County Ground, Taunton, 1pm (10pm AEST)