Sophie Molineux fit for Rose Bowl T20I opener; Litchfield doubtful
Molineux returns from hip injury for Sunday's Rose Bowl opener while Litchfield remains doubtful.
Australia captain Sophie Molineux has declared herself fit for Sunday's opening Rose Bowl T20I against New Zealand at North Sydney Oval. She missed the preceding one-day series against Bangladesh with a hip injury but trained strongly in Brisbane last week.
Phoebe Litchfield remains a doubt after suffering a hip muscle strain in the second ODI. The 23-year-old did not join team training on Friday, and with a short turnaround before the series, Australia will be reluctant to risk their No.3 batter. Left-arm quick Lucy Hamilton is also pushing for selection after returning from a quad niggle.
The return of Molineux and Hamilton will create a selection squeeze. The three-match Rose Bowl series marks the first time the trophy has been contested in T20Is between the sides.
CricHubb Take
The Rose Bowl expansion to T20Is compresses a 26-year rivalry into two short series across six months, giving New Zealand more realistic chances to reclaim silverware than the once-in-a-decade ODI visits allowed.