Not-so-new kid on the block: 'mature' Litchfield set for Ashes

A season in charge of the Sydney Thunder has unlocked a new level in Phoebe Litchfield's natural cricketing nous, as she looks to make her mark on the upcoming Ashes. 

When Litchfield touched down in the United Kingdom last June ahead of her maiden Ashes campaign, she had two T20Is and three ODIs under her belt and was just starting to make her way in the green and gold.

A mere eighteen months later, she will represent Australia for the 50th time across all formats when she steps out onto North Sydney Oval for the first Ashes ODI.

The 21-year-old from Orange is averaging 40 in both white-ball formats, boasts a strike rate of 148 in T20Is, has two tons to her name and is sought-after in global leagues.

Speaking to media in Sydney this week, Litchfield was adamant she was still "a kid" in the Australian team, but admitted she had evolved since she last took on England.

"I've played a lot of games of cricket and learned so much," Litchfield said.

"I'm a very different player to two years ago ... so I'm pretty keen to get stuck in, it feels like a full circle moment.

"It's just about maturity, a bit of experience. Each game I play, I learn from it and get better.

"You can learn so much in this game I'm finding, and I think it's just a bit of experience and maturity, probably complimenting the skills that I've been working on.

"I probably just played the first year of international cricket just willy nilly, getting excited, riding the wave. 

"But now it's like, 'Okay, this is going to be the long-term thing, so let's try and learn as much as we can'."

Litchfield become the youngest full-time captain in WBBL history last year when she took the reins at the Sydney Thunder.

She helped lead her team to the Challenger final, and had the opportunity to hone her leadership skills with the help of England captain and Thunder import Heather Knight – even if the pair were understandably reticent to discuss the upcoming Ashes during their time together. 

"I think it'll be nice to just chill at cover and not have to think (during the Ashes), but just being able to think about the game in a more serious way in the Big Bash has definitely put me in good stead," Litchfield said. 

"I think most of it I had already in my brain … I probably underestimated how much I do think about the game, and I probably just had to never put it into practice. 

"So captaining was an awesome challenge, but it also came, not easily, but I knew what to do, which was nice. 

"It probably took me a game (to adjust) ... but by the end of it, I was thinking really clearly, and it was a really enjoyable experience."

One person who has watched Litchfield's development closely is Australia coach Shelley Nitschke.

It was Nitschke who first broke the news to an ecstatic Litchfield that she would make her T20I debut in Mumbai in December 2022, and who has watched her both cement her place as ODI opener, while also unlocking a new T20 power game, in the two years since.

"I think her performances on-field speak for themselves, the way she's taken on her T20 game as well now has been excellent for us," Nitschke said. 

"Just more recently, (she took on) the captaincy of the Sydney Thunder ... and I think that's what we see the growth in Pheebs as well, in that leadership space. 

"She's just getting more confident in his environment, finding her way. 

"She's a really big part of our team on and off the field and it's been really nice to see her evolution."

Commbank Women's Ashes 2025

First ODI: January 12: North Sydney Oval, Sydney, 10.30am AEDT

Second ODI: January 14: CitiPower Centre, Melbourne, 10.05am AEDT

Third ODI: January 17: Bellerive Oval, Hobart, 10.05am AEDT

First T20I: January 20: SCG, Sydney, 7.40pm AEDT

Second T20I: January 23: Manuka Oval, Canberra, 7.40pm AEDT

Third T20I: January 25: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, 7.10pm ACDT (7.40pm AEDT)

Australia squad (ODI/T20Is): Alyssa Healy (c), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris+, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath (vc), Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham

England squad (ODI/T20Is): Heather Knight (c), Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Kate Cross*, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Danielle Gibson+, Sarah Glenn, Bess Heath+, Amy Jones, Freya Kemp+, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Linsey Smith+, Danni Wyatt-Hodge

* ODIs only; + T20Is only

Day-night Test: January 30 - February 2: MCG, Melbourne, 2.30pm AEDT

Australia Test squad: TBC

England Test squad: Heather Knight (c), Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Kate Cross, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Bess Heath, Amy Jones, Ryana MacDonald-Gay, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Danni Wyatt-Hodge

The rivalry resumes with a blockbuster series in Australia from Jan 12 - Feb 2. Learn about the remarkable 90-year history at the Women's Ashes Hub