Like its Prime Minister’s XI equivalent, the Governor-General’s XI has always partly been a way to give Australia’s up-and-comers a chance to shine on an all-but international stage, even if they are just 15 years of age.
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Not long after being named in Australia’s under-19 squad to tour New Zealand, Kinross’ Phoebe Litchfield picked up another on Wednesday morning when she was named in the Governor-General’s XI to take on the Kiwis on February 28, at Drummoyne.
That’s the New Zealand national side, by the way, not their emerging players squad.
Litchfield and her side, to be skippered by Australian legend Alex Blackwell, will take on the White Ferns in a 50-over, day-night tour game.
The clash falls in between the second and third fixtures of the Rose Bowl, a three-game One-Day International series between Australia and New Zealand.
Picked by national selectors in conjunction with Governor-General Peter Cosgrove, the outfit also includes Rachel Trenaman – who made her NSW debut as a 16-year-old – and Annabel Sutherland.
Outside Litchfield’s ton, Sutherland scored the only century at last month’s Cricket Australia Under-18 Women’s National Championship.
The chance to play with the likes of Blackwell, with whom she’s done plenty of work with already in the Sydney Thunder system, will be invaluable for Litchfield.
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Blackwell retired from international cricket last year as Australia’s most-capped player, making 251 appearances for her country across all three formats.
She continued to captain Sydney Thunder in this summer’s Women’s Big Bash League, leading her team to the semi-final, but has yet to confirm whether she’ll continue her Big Bash career in 2019-20.
The Governor-General’s XI match will begin at 1.50pm on February 28, with entry free of charge.
- GOVERNOR-GENERAL’S XI: Alex Blackwell ©, Erin Burns, Josie Dooley, Nicole Faltum (wk), Heather Graham, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Rachel Rae-Martin, Annabel Sutherland, Rachel Trenaman, Belinda Vakarewa
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