Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
For Phoebe Litchfield, the sequel is “equally iconic” as the original.
The Australian World Cup champion is referring to captain Sophie Molineux’s Shane Warne-inspired celebration on the Lord’s balcony.
Molineux poured champagne over her head and danced with the stump in homage to another Victorian spinner turned world cricket conqueror.
Warne did his instantly iconic celebration after the Aussies retained the 1997 Ashes series in England.
But, as Litchfield sees it, the moments should stand parallel in Australian cricket history.
“Yeah, very spontaneous (from Molineux). I actually had not really an idea of it and then seeing the pictures stacked up against each other this morning on socials,” Litchfield said.
“It’s a pretty cool moment and equally iconic, I think.”
Australia was clinical across the World Cup, blitzing all challengers including India and England in its own backyard in the final.
The Aussies had made a habit of winning these tournaments, so recent shortcomings in semi-finals stung deeply.
Litchfield said the group opted for clarity over camouflage by getting in a room and confronting the moments that led to those losses.
“They were led by our amazing coach (Shelley Nitschke), our support staff and then our players,” she said.
“Being able to sit in a room and talk about how and why we missed those moments and probably identifying and naming that fear or that pressure. It was there, we felt it and we weren’t able to perform.
“So we did a little bit of work on that and then implemented it in training and tried to manufacture those moments or expose us to more of those moments.
“That was probably the idea of all that work, but yeah, those meetings were uncomfortable and credit to the girls who were there or especially, potentially, made those mistakes.
“It was a cool thing to be in, to own it, be honest and true – it was cool.”
Australian World Cup winning squad 2026: Sophie Molineux (captain), Ashleigh Gardner (vice-captain), Tahlia McGrath (vice-captain), Nicola Carey, Kim Garth, Lucy Hamilton, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll and Georgia Wareham.
