'She has it all': Litchfield thrives in first season as Thunder skipper

In WBBL|10, Phoebe Litchfield has finished fifth on the league runs table, been named in the Team of the Tournament and skippered her team to the finals – all seemingly without missing a beat.

Litchfield became the youngest full-time WBBL captain when she was appointed to the role aged 21 at the start of the season, and any concerns the added responsibility might place undue pressure on the young batter’s shoulders have so far proved unfounded.

The Thunder are understandably eager to keep Litchfield in the lime green for the foreseeable future, and on Wednesday confirmed the left-hander had signed a new three-year deal that will keep her at the club until at least the end of WBBL|13.

Speaking to her teammates throughout the season and ahead of the Thunder’s Knockout final against the Hobart Hurricanes at Drummoyne Oval on Wednesday, one thing became clear: Litchfield is doing the job her own way, and staying true to herself.

"Phoebe's done an outstanding job leading us this year," Thunder opener, and Litchfield’s close mate, Georgia Voll told The Surge podcast.

"It’s her first time and she's still 21, so to be able to produce what she's doing and still scoring runs and leading the team the way she has, has been such high quality from her.

"And she can still can keep her humour and (maintain) how good she is off the field as well.

"You can see that she has it all, and the way that she can go about her batting and separate that from the captaincy has been unreal.

"You can get a bit caught up in having to lead the team … but she is the exact same (as ever)."

Voll is likely to open the batting alongside Litchfield in Australia’s three-game ODI series against India early next month, after she was called into the national squad for the first time as an injury replacement for Alyssa Healy.

She likely could not ask for a better opening partner to help calm her nerves when that time comes, as she explained how she and Litchfield keep each other in check when batting together:

"It's quite funny when we're batting, because I think she's really serious, but then she thinks I'm really serious, so sometimes we just take the piss out of each other to lighten each other up," Voll said.

"I didn't think I was that serious until she told me I was and that I'm very unapproachable when I'm batting.

"And I said, I'm not, I think you're the same ... so we're a bit the same like that.

"We're very serious when we're on the cricket field but when we get off it, it's all fun and games."

Litchfield was named in the official Team of the Tournament after hitting 281 runs at a strike rate of 135.74 across 10 innings for the Thunder this season.

She helped steer the Sydney club to third spot on the table, setting up Wednesday’s clash with the Hurricanes.

New teammate Taneale Peschel, who joined the Thunder from the Scorchers this season, revealed she had bonded with her skipper in an unexpected way.

"Phoebe is great, she just backs you to play your game," Peschel told cricket.com.au.

"And she's quite a character.

"We both get a bit hyped up in the afternoon – we get a bit of the zoomies.

"It's nice to have someone that I can relate to in that way, and people are like, 'You just need to sit down'.

"But she's been great. She's obviously a young captain (but) she’s been able to still play her game and be Phoebe Litchfield, not the captain of the Thunder ... she's still herself, which is really important."

Ten-year Thunder player Sam Bates has had the fortune of playing under some of Australian, and global, cricket’s greatest leaders throughout her decade with the club.

She started playing under the guidance of former Australia captain Alex Blackwell, followed by another national skipper in Rachael Haynes, before current England leader Heather Knight took the reins.

"She's awesome, she’s a kid at heart, a country girl, and she's just a sponge," Bates said of Litchfield as captain.

"She knows she is fresh into this side as captain, that she's going to learn on the go and that sort of thing.

"I think Heather's been a really good asset for her to lean on, which has been great."

WBBL|10 Finals

The Knockout: Sydney Thunder v Hobart Hurricanes | Drummoyne Oval | Wednesday, November 27 at 7.15pm AEDT

The Challenger: Brisbane Heat v TBC | Allan Border Field | Friday, November 29 at 7.15pm AEDT, 6.15pm AEDT

The Final: Melbourne Renegades v TBC | MCG | Sunday, December 1 at 1.20pm AEDT

Grab your tickets or tune in on the Seven Network, 7Plus, Fox Cricket, Kayo or ABC and SEN radio