Litchfield trains as selectors mull best XI to take on White Ferns

Lucy Hamilton's return from a quad injury will create a selection squeeze ahead of Australia's first Rose Bowl T20I against New Zealand, while Phoebe Litchfield is hoping to prove her fitness after training on match eve.

Litchfield, who missed the final ODI against Bangladesh with a low-grade hip muscle strain – or a "tweaked bum" as the 23-year-old described her niggle on broadcast – batted in the nets at North Sydney Oval on Saturday afternoon before being put through her paces during a fitness test and fielding session.

The left-hander, who bats at No.3 in the T20I XI, will continue to be assessed ahead of Sunday's match, but her potential absence would create a re-jig of the batting order and could create an opportunity for either Tahlia McGrath or Alana King to be recalled in the shortest format.

"Phoebe's tracking well," Australia coach Shelley Nitschke said in Sydney on Saturday, ahead of Australia's training session. "There's a little bit to play out before the game and she'll continue to be assessed before we see if she's going to be available for the first game.

"We're not sort of sure how training will go, but we're hopeful."

The Rose Bowl T20I series will feature three games across five days, before players join their Big Bash clubs ahead of the start of Weber WBBL|12 on October 29. Given the busy schedule ahead, Australia are likely to err on the conservative side with any niggles.

Left-arm quick Hamilton has meanwhile re-joined the Australian squad after missing the ODI against Bangladesh, having returned to play via the Governor-General's XI on Thursday where she bowled two overs in a rain-shortened encounter. In wet and slippery conditions, the 20-year-old struggled with her run up during the second of those two overs, overstepping four times.

Megan Schutt's brilliant series against the Tigresses has created a headache for selectors, after she took 10 wickets at seven in three one-dayers. Schutt only played one game during the T20 World Cup before being squeezed out of the XI by Hamilton, and as recently as last week, the 33-year-old conceded she was unsure of where her future lay in T20 internationals, but on Saturday Nitschke confirmed her recent form had her firmly back in the selection mix.

"She's in the mix for sure," Nitschke said of Schutt. "She was outstanding in in Brisbane, so certainly has to put her hand up and put her best foot forward to give herself every chance."

Captain Sophie Molineux had already declared herself fit after missing the ODIs with a hip issue, and the return of Hamilton could see Australia field an unchanged XI from the side that won the T20 World Cup final at Lord's in July if Litchfield is passed fit.

NRMA Insurance Women's T20 Series v New Zealand

First T20I: Sunday, October 18

Second T20I: Tuesday, October 20

Third T20I: Thursday, October 22

* All matches played at North Sydney Oval starting at 7:15pm AEDT

Australia T20I squad: Sophie Molineux (c), Ashleigh Gardner (vc), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Nicola Carey, Kim Garth, Lucy Hamilton, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham 

New Zealand T20I squad: Melie Kerr (c), Eden Carson, Flora Devonshire, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Bree Illing, Polly Inglis (wk), Bella James, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Nensi Patel, Molly Penfold, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe, Izzy Sharp

All women's international matches will be shown live on Seven, 7Plus, Kayo Sports and Foxtel