Litchfield to return as Australia wait on final selection call

Australia could leave a call on their XI for their T20 World Cup showdown against India until the last minute, as Phoebe Litchfield returns for the blockbuster match at Lord's.

Skipper Sophie Molineux confirmed the star No.3 had recovered from a quad injury after Litchfield trained strongly at Lord's on Friday, two days out from the game.

Beth Mooney is also clear to play after twice dislocating the same finger during Australia's win against Pakistan in Leeds.

London's week-long heatwave, which has seen the Lord's pitch baking as the mercury topped 35 degrees Celsius, will come into calculations as Australia mull their best line-up to tackle India.

South Africa will play Bangladesh from 10:30am local in the first leg of the Lord's double-header, offering Australia and India bonus intel ahead of their own encounter.

Australia made a late call in similar circumstances ahead of their opening match of the tournament against South Africa in Manchester, internally naming a XII then waiting until Ireland and Scotland played the morning game before settling on the final XI.

"We could (do that) ... I'm not sure if we will this time around but we did it against South Africa in the first game," Molineux told reporters in London on Friday.

"If we have to, we'll probably take that route (this time) as well. 

"We'll probably have to keep watching this pitch. It's under a bit of sun at the moment, so we'll probably have to look at that and the beauty with our squad is the depth that we've got and we've had to use that at different points this tour.

"(Litchfield is) looking good, she fully trained today and has been building up and was pretty good over the last maybe week or so.

"(Mooney also) feels really good, her finger doesn't look blown up or anything like that, which is a miracle and she's tough, so she'll be absolutely fine to go on Sunday and onwards."

One option for Australia is to revert back to the combination that played the Proteas before Litchfield's injury, with Kim Garth leading the pace attack alongside the allrounders and with four spinners.

Another option would be to leave out a spinner and keep Lucy Hamilton in the XI – or recall Megan Schutt. Alternatively, with Litchfield's return bolstering an already deep batting line-up, they could leave out an allrounder.

Across their four matches so far Australia have used 14 of their 15 squad members, with Tahlia McGrath the only one yet to play.

Speaking on Friday, her co-vice-captain Ashleigh Gardner acknowledged the tough selection calls that would need to be made at the business end of the tournament.

"It's one of those things that's really tough, anyone that's sitting on the sidelines at the moment could have a real impact within our side," Gardner said.

"We know that everyone's here for a reason, and it's super unfortunate for those guys, but just watching them train, they're really eager if they ever get the opportunity to really take it with both hands.

"That's just the nature of where we're at, at the moment. I'm sure there's other teams around the world that are probably having the same struggles as well, but I think if you're in the 11, making sure that you're using that opportunity to the best of your ability (is important)."

Australia had a lengthy training session in the heat at Lord's on Friday.

With Saturday's practice scheduled for Wormsley, an hour out of London – India and South Africa, who both arrived in London on Friday, had their sessions at Lord's – on another scorching day, Australia instead opted for rest and recovery ahead of Sunday.

They have played just one game at Lord's in the past 12 years, a five-wicket T20I defeat to England during the 2023 Ashes.

But Gardner said the players who had featured in The Hundred would draw on that experience to help them adapt to the unique characteristics of the ground, including it's iconic slope.

"This wicket is always pretty good (but) it probably takes a few balls just to adjust to, and also the slope," Gardner said.

"I think people probably underestimate how much the slope actually plays a part, whether you're bowling up it or down it."

ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026

Australia squad: Sophie Molineux (c), Ashleigh Gardner (vc), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Nicola Carey, Kim Garth, Lucy Hamilton, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham. Travelling reserve: Tahlia Wilson

Australia's Group 1 fixtures

June 13: beat South Africa by 65 runs

June 17: beat Bangladesh by nine wickets

June 20: beat Netherlands by 98 runs

June 24: beat Pakistan by 113 runs

June 28: v India, Lord's, London, 11:30pm AEST

Semi-final 1: The Oval, London, June 30, 11:30pm AEST

Semi-final 2: The Oval, London, July 2 (3:30am July 3 AEST)

Final: Lord's, London, July 5, 11:30pm AEST

Click here for the full tournament schedule

All matches will be broadcast on Amazon's Prime Video