Australia Women beat New Zealand by two wickets in the 1st T20I to take a 1-0 series lead. Injured batter Phoebe Litchfield went viral for mimicking Beth Mooney’s contact lens struggle. Her availability for the remaining matches remains uncertain due to a hip strain.
Australian batter Phoebe Litchfield recently went viral after she hilariously mimicked her teammate Beth Mooney’s struggle with contact lenses during the first T20I of the three-match series against New Zealand Women at North Sydney Oval on Sunday, October 19.
Australia Women took a 1-0 series lead with a thrilling two-wicket win over New Zealand. With a 163-run target, the hosts chased it down in 19.1 overs, sealing the victory with five balls to spare despite a frantic late collapse in the closing overs. Ellyse Perry’s 52-run knock and vital contributions from Beth Mooney (38) and Ashleigh Gardner (23) anchored the early phase of the run chase before a late order wobble kept fans on the edge of their seats.
Earlier in the match, Georgia Plimmer (85) and Maddy Green (56) shared an unbeaten 127-run partnership for the third wicket to guide New Zealand to a competitive total of 162/2/ However, their efforts went in vain as the visitors’ bowling attack could not defend the total in the face of Australia’s aggressive chase.
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Litchfield’s Hilarious Mimic of Mooney Goes Viral
As Australia Women managed to chase down the target despite a minor wobble towards the finish line, the spotlight briefly shifted to the dugout, where batter Phoebe Litchfield stole the show.
The incident took place in the third over of Australia’s run chase when Beth Mooney had to pause the action to adjust her contact lens, which had begun causing her discomfort under the floodlights. Mooney was spotted fiddling with her left eye between deliveries to get the lens back into place.
As the veteran Australian batter was adjusting her contact lens, the camera shifted towards the dugout, where Phoebe Litchfield was caught red-handed hilariously impersonating her teammate. Litchfield, who was on the sidelines due to a minor hip injury, squinted her eyes, pulled at her eyelids, and fumbled with an imaginary contact lens in perfect sync with Mooney out on the field.
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Oblivious of the camera being panned on her, Phoebe Litchfield seemed completely absorbed in the moment, making face after face as she continued her theatrical performance. Her teammates in the dugout seemed completely absorbed in the moment, making face after face as she continued her theatrical performance.
It was only when her teammates began breaking into fits of laughter and pointing at the big screen that she realized her antics were being broadcast live.
Will Phoebe Litchfield Feature in Remainder of T20I Series?
Ahead of Australia’s T20I series opener against New Zealand women, the hosts suffered a setback as a low-grade hip muscle strain forced her to miss the playing XI.
The 23-year-old left-handed batter picked up the minor hip injury while scoring 70 during the second ODI against Bangladesh earlier in the week. With the Australian management adopting a cautious approach ahead of a packed international calendar, Litchfield was rested for the series opener at North Sydney Oval to ensure a complete recovery.
Phoebe Litchfield was replaced by Tahila McGrath in the playing XI for the T20I series opener. With two matches remaining in the Rose Bowl T20I series, Australian head coach Shelley Nitschke indicated that Litchfield will continue to be evaluated on a match-by-match basis.
However, the team management is optimistic that the hard-hitting left-hander will return to action later in the series once cleared by the medical staff. It remains to be seen whether Phoebe Litchfield can recover in time to feature in the second T20I or if the team management decides to hold her back for the final match of the series to ensure she is at 100 percent physical fitness.
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