Phoebe Litchfield has been left to rue a DRS mishap after Australia’s newest Test cricketer was given out for 23 on debut against England.
Litchfield was one of two Australian wickets to fall on the first morning of the Ashes Test at Trent Bridge, as the tourists went to lunch at 2-100 on Thursday.
One of the most talented young stars in the country, Litchfield was handed her Baggy Green by former Sydney Thunder teammate Alex Blackwell before play.
She looked in good touch early, working the ball off her pads neatly and playing a nice drive through cover-point for one of her four boundaries.
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But any hope of a big score on debut was dashed when she was given out lbw, leaving a Kate Cross (1-34) ball that angled across her.
The 20-year-old immediately walked without any lengthy consultation with non-striker Beth Mooney, before ball tracking showed the delivery would have missed off stump.
Mooney had also threatened to pile on the runs after driving confidently through the first hour, but fell shortly before lunch.
Dropped by Cross off her own bowling on five and Danni Wyatt in the gully on 19, Mooney eventually became Lauren Filer’s first Test wicket when she edged her to gully again.
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Ellyse Perry (31) and Tahlia McGrath (11) then took Australia through to the break, with McGrath getting off the mark with back-to-back boundaries off Filer (1-16).
Perry also survived an lbw shout on 10 from Filer’s first ball in international cricket, given out before she immediately reviewed and replays showed she had inside-edged it.
The right-hander has cut nicely, and provided one of the shots of the day when she powerfully cover-drove Sophie Ecclestone’s first ball for four.
Earlier, Australia had made the call to debut seamer Kim Garth alongside Litchfield, with veteran quick Megan Schutt overlooked.
The Irish-born Garth’s debut makes her the first man or woman to represent Australia in a Test match after playing for another nation in any format.
Alana King was also preferred over Georgia Wareham as the leg-spinner, partnering finger spinner Jess Jonassen.
The Test match kicks off the multi-format series, with four points on the line in this match and then two points available for each of the three ODIs and three T20s.
Australia has held the Ashes since 2015, winning or drawing the past four series.
-AAP
