Phoebe Litchfield’s Unflinching Reply On Being Alyssa Healy’s Possible Successor As Australia’s Next Captain: ‘Definitely Grab It With Both Hands’

India knocked out Australia from the Women’s World Cup after the home side pulled off a record run chase at Navi Mumbai. Despite Phoebe Litchfield’s maiden World Cup hundred, India kept their momentum intact and riding on Jemimah Rodrigues’ sensational hundred, India had secured a place in the final against South Africa.

Alyssa Healy might have played her last ODI World Cup, and the 35-year-old is edging towards the twilight period of her career. She took over the charge from Meg Lanning in 2023, and the time might come sooner to find her perfect successor. Lanning had pointed out that Litchfield could be an excellent choice for the captaincy, and the Australian youngster opened up on the aspects of leading her country in the ODIs.

In an interaction with ICC, she said, “I look at our group, and we’ve got so many natural leaders, I just learn off them.

“And if the day came, I’d definitely grab it with both hands.

“But I can assure you that, the likes of Ash Gardner, Sophie Molineux, Annabel Sutherland, Tahlia McGrath, we’ve got just an amazing group of beautiful leaders, and I just look up to them.

“So if I end up getting it (one day), it’s because of them.”

Litchfield was one of the breakthrough performers in the World Cup and further stamped her authority with her maiden World Cup century in the semifinal against India. She already captained Sydney Thunder in the Women’s Big Bash League and is not new to leadership. She finished the 5th highest run scorer in the World Cup with 304 runs, and definitely has the ability to enhance her cricket in the near future.