Australia’s young batter Phoebe Litchfield has won the ICC Women’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year award for 2023. The young gun from Australia received the award following a string of great performances in her first year in International cricket. The left-handed batter has already played 24 International games for her country, scoring over 850 runs including two centuries to her name.
Litchfield made her debut for Australia in multiple formats in 2023 and made an immediate impact. She scored 344 ODI runs, with an average of 49.14 alongside showing some glimpses in Test Cricket and T20 Cricket.
The 20-year-old won the prized accolade ahead of Bangladesh teenager Marufa Akter, England quick Lauren Bell, and Scotland all-rounder Darcey Carter after a standout year at the top of Australia’s strong batting order.
“I’m thrilled to be named the ICC Rising Ladies’s Cricketer of the 12 months. It’s an honour to be nominated alongside unbelievable cricketers and I’d like to increase my congratulations to all award nominees.
“It’s been an enormous 12 months for girls’s cricket and the usual of all groups continues to rise, which is thrilling for the way forward for our sport. Multi-format collections away from house towards England and India had been a large challenge for our group however we relished the chance.
“From a private perspective, it is also been pleasing that I’ve been capable of putting in some constant performances and contributing to group success over the previous 12 months. Thanks to everybody who voted within the awards, it’s been a memorable 12 months and I’m excited for what’s to come back,” Phoebe Litchfield said.
In December 2022, Litchfield was picked to Australia’s ODI team for a series against Pakistan. She made her ODI debut in the same series on January 16, 2023, opening the batting as she began the year in fine form, scoring successive unbeaten half-centuries in her first two ODIs at home against Pakistan. She was named to Australia’s test squad for the Ashes series against England and made her debut in the longer format.
Despite, missing out on Australia’s squad for the World Cup, Litchfield returned to international action in the middle of the year, winning a Player of the Match and a first career century against Ireland in Dublin.
In the third One-Day International against Ireland in July 2023, Litchfield earned her first white-ball century, 106 not out, and was named player of the match. She became the second-youngest Australian woman to score an ODI century and would be keen on continuing her form for Australia in 2024.
