Phoebe Litchfield is embracing her settled role at No.3 in Australia’s T20I lineup, ready to ignite the batting with greater “ownership” as the hosts chase momentum against India in the 2nd T20I at Manuka Oval on February 19, 2026.
After a gritty 26 off 19 balls in the opener, where India stole a 21-run win via DLS after bowling Australia out for 133, the 22-year-old opener-turned-anchor is backing her side to rebound with attacking flair.
Installed at first drop post-Australia’s 2024 T20 World Cup semi-final heartbreak, Litchfield has owned the spot across six T20Is in 2025 against England and New Zealand, notching starts in five innings with a high of 32 in Mount Maunganui.
Her comfort there mirrors a stellar franchise career: a top-order mainstay for Sydney Thunder in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), Northern Superchargers in The Hundred, and UP Warriorz in the just-concluded 4th Women’s Premier League (WPL) edition, where she smashed 243 runs at a strike rate of 154.77 and an average of 40.50 across six matches, including two half-centuries.
“I’m a bit more used to it than compared to this time last year in the Ashes,” Litchfield told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday. “It’s a good challenge. I love it. It helps being able to bat around the likes of Beth Mooney, Georgia Voll, and Ellyse Perry; it makes my job easy. I just want to get out there, take the game on and move the game forward.”
The series opener exposed Australia’s T20I rust after an 11-month drought, with loose shots and fractured partnerships undermining their aggressive intent at the SCG. Litchfield pinpointed the fix: greater accountability. “I think (we need) some ownership with the bat,” she said. “I reckon that’s probably where we fell short, but I think all of us batters have reflected pretty clearly on that and are keen to rectify things on Thursday.”
Looking ahead, Litchfield drew confidence from Australia’s six-match T20I winning streak earlier in 2025, a response to their Dubai World Cup exit that sharpened their attacking ethos. “We love taking the game on,” she affirmed.
“We’ve spoken a lot about how we want to go about it after that World Cup, so it’s nice to put into practice the things we’ve been working on. Looking back to the Ashes last year, it was really exciting the way we were playing cricket, and especially in New Zealand as well. So, we just want to go out there, play an attacking brand of cricket, entertain the fans, and hopefully have fun doing it.”
“We’re motivated. I think that’s the best way to put it. We’re excited to bounce back positively, more for our own sake.” With Litchfield thriving amid quality company, Australia eyes to level the T20I series at the Manuka Oval in Canberra with a statement performance.
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