Phoebe Litchfield included in Australia A's squads for history-making series against India A

After an impressive start to her burgeoning career the 16-year-old NSW and Sydney Thunder star-in-waiting was named in the one-day and Twenty20 squads for the ground-breaking, six-game series, which marks the first time Australia has hosted an international women's A side.

Her selection comes after she captured the cricketing world's imagination at the beginning of the Rebel Women's Big Bash League this summer and while her form has slightly dropped since, she's done more than enough to warrant a spot in Australia's second-string outfits.

Litchfield's and her side will face India A in three 50-over, one-day games at Brisbane's Allan Border Field before moving south to the Gold Coast's Bill Pippen Oval for three Twenty20 fixtures, in the former side she'll be joined by Thunder teammates Rachel Trenaman and Tahlia Wilson.

National selector Shawn Flegler spoke on the make-up of the sides, which will both be skippered by South Australia's Tahlia McGrath, and focused on Litchfield's inclusion in particular.

"In her first season of senior cricket Phoebe has really shown why she's so highly rated, for her this tour is a great chance to get a taste of playing against an international opposition," Flegler said.

"The squads have been selected with a long-term view to the 50-over World Cup in New Zealand in 2021 while also rewarding those players who have demanded selection through strong domestic performances.

"It's important that that the depth of Australian Cricket continues to develop, with those players who have already had a taste on international cricket continuing to build their game and develop so they're ready to go when the opportunity presents itself.

"With a T20 World Cup early next year and an ODI World Cup the following year, it's exciting to see so many talented youngsters coming through the pathway and performing well and this tour is really going to test them against what we expect to be a strong Indian side."

Litchfield's exciting inclusion came on Friday evening before her Thunder side, sadly, all but bowed out of WBBL finals contention with a nail-biting, super over loss to Adelaide on Sunday.

The Strikers made 6-161 before the Thunder matched that exactly, Litchfield making 14 from 15 balls. The Thunder batted first in the super over and finished with 1-6, Adelaide's Sophie Devine needed just three balls to knock that off.

The loss was the Thunder's sixth in a row and resigns them to the bottom half of the table and they'll now virtually need a miracle to make the top four. They're only three points shy, but have two games left and have played an extra one compared to most of their rivals.