New Delhi, June 11 (IANS) Australia’s preparations for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup have been clouded by a fitness concern surrounding Phoebe Litchfield, but the defending champions remain optimistic that the young batter will be available for their opening fixture against South Africa.

Litchfield did not feature in Australia’s warm-up games after experiencing discomfort in her quad, prompting team management to take a cautious approach ahead of their campaign opener.

With the six-time champions set to begin their quest for a record seventh title in Manchester on Saturday, head coach Shelley Nitschke expressed confidence that the left-hander would be ready when it matters most.

“Yeah, we hope so. Obviously, she had some quad awareness, and it was just on the conservative side to leave her out of these two games. But we’re hopeful that she’s going to be able to take her place in the side for the first round (match),” Nitschke said when asked whether Litchfield would be available for their T20 WC opener.

Australia head into the tournament with momentum after closing out their warm-up schedule with a comfortable six-wicket victory over the West Indies in Cardiff. While Litchfield remained on the sidelines, the batting unit showed few signs of disruption, with Georgia Voll producing an aggressive 77 at the top of the order, supported by Beth Mooney’s 34.

The bowling attack was equally effective, with seven different players sharing the wickets, further underlining the depth available to the Australian camp ahead of the World Cup. That depth, however, has posed a different challenge for Nitschke as she works towards finalising her starting XI for the clash against South Africa.

“I think we’re pretty close. Once we get up to Manchester and have a bit closer look at those conditions, that we’ll start to really feel like what that looks like for game one,” Nitschke said.

As the countdown to the tournament opener enters its final stages, Australia will spend the next two days monitoring Litchfield’s recovery. The early indications are encouraging, but her fitness remains one of the key storylines ahead of the six-time champions’ highly anticipated clash against the Proteas.

–IANS

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