Litchfield's mantra for hitting sixes: 'A nice, relaxed swing and timing the ball'

"The messaging has been just back yourself, don't leave any runs out there and just commit to scoring runs quickly." Phoebe Litchfield revealed this was the brief given to the UP Warriorz batting lineup, and that is how she went about her innings as she blazed 78 off 40 balls to nearly power her team to victory chasing 208 against Gujarat Giants in their first game of WPL 2026.

Her effort wasn't enough, but Litchfield will be happy to have her first half-century in the competition after two sub-par seasons.

Apart from the conventional strokes, Litchfield also brought out the reverse-sweep. The shot brought her 15 runs off four balls. She also played a lap shot past the keeper off GG quick Kashvee Gautam for four as she kept Warriorz alive in the chase.

Litchfield said that while the power game is not her forte, it's something she is working on. She is also finding ways to score runs in her own style.

"T20 format has definitely been a work-on. I can't really hit the ball as strong as Ash Gardner or Grace Harris in the Aussie team. So it's purely about finding my way to score, and it probably doesn't look as conventional but I know how to manipulate the field and I'm finding scoring quicker easier each year with just a bit of power that's growing naturally as you grow up, but also decision-making," Litchfield said at the post-match press conference.

Litchfield hit five sixes on Saturday, as many as she had hit across 14 games in the last two seasons. She attributed that rise to increased physical strength, practice and timing.

"The boundaries are getting too small for most of us. If you had told me that I'd hit a couple of sixes tonight, I probably wouldn't have believed you a couple of years ago," she said. "I think everyone's getting stronger, the ball's going further but I think that comes down to practice. A lot of time in the gym, but also just timing.

"I know that if I try and hit a six, it never goes for six. But if I time the ball and get all those movement patterns in order [I'll hit one]. And that's what I've practiced outside the field. In the nets, [I've been] practicing my swing and sometimes a nice relaxed swing and timing the ball is all you need."

Litchfield generally opens the batting for Australia but has also batted in the middle order. On Saturday, she came out to bat at No. 3, a role she is excited for as it allows her bat at different stages of an innings.

"I'm happy to bat anywhere and that's something I pride myself on: my versatility. I really like the challenge of No. 3. I've played in the Hundred and Big Bash and now here," she said. "You get a taste of the powerplay but also the middle overs. it probably works with my game.

"Only having two [fielders] out, I can release my hands through the ball, but once the four are out, manipulate it in my way."