Eager learner Litchfield lapping up village life

Phoebe Litchfield cannot help but admit that five weeks in the Rebel WBBL Village surrounded by the world's best cricketers is something of a dream.

The Sydney Thunder young gun was a late arrival in the Sydney Olympic Park hub due to her Year 11 exams, but Sydney's wet weather means she has not missed much, with both the club's matches washed out last weekend.

She is likely to slot directly into the Thunder's middle order this weekend for games against the Adelaide Strikers and Brisbane Heat, forming a potent line-up alongside internationals Rachel Haynes, Tammy Beaumont and Heather Knight.

Litchfield was of the standout young players of WBBL|05, scoring a half-century in just her second Big Bash game and ending the season with 187 runs from 11 matches.

Many have already earmarked the teenager as a future Australian representative, but the 17-year-old from Orange is not resting on her laurels, revealing she had spent a COVID-interrupted off-season adding new shots to her game.

"I'm working out other areas to score runs – teams will have worked out where I'm scoring the majority of my runs, so finding new ways to score is the main one of work on," Litchfield told cricket.com.au.

"People pretty much know what you're going to do even before you play (a shot), so it's important to have not one plan, but a few plans to each bowler."

While a planned tour to South Africa with the Australia under-19s was cancelled due to the pandemic, Litchfield was still able to travel to Sydney for each school holiday period to train alongside her New South Wales teammates.

Then, she would return home to hone her new skills, working tirelessly with her father in the synthetic net they have built in their backyard.

"Every time I go down there (to Sydney) I improve, so it's valuable," she said.

"I learn it there and train it back home, my dad is my coach so it's easy in the backyard.

"I think strength-wise I've gotten stronger, I still can't hit many sixes but that's something to work on for next season."

An unabashed cricket nuffy, Litchfield knows a day may come where imbibing cricket 24-7 may not be as appetising as it presently is, but for now, she is planning to soak up every moment of life in the WBBL Village.

Playing alongside the likes of Knight and Beaumont is set to be a highlight, while she is particularly looking forward to being part of the same XI as allrounder Sammy-Jo Johnson, who has moved to the Thunder from the Heat this season.

"I've settled in now and it's pretty amazing to be in a hub with the best players in Australia and some of the best players in the world, it's pretty cool," she said.

"I'll love these five weeks because I just get to watch cricket non-stop.

"Maybe in a few years to come I'll get sick of it but right now it's all just excitement."

And while her school commitments meant she missed the Thunder's warm-up matches earlier this month, Litchfield did have a chance to get her eye in for the season lining up for local club Kinross.

"It was a good hit-out against the men, it got my reflexes up so that was valuable," she said.