Aussie rookie tipped to thrive on debut

Stand-in skipper Tahlia McGrath says debutant Georgia Voll is “more than ready” to handle the step up to international cricket as she prepares to open the batting alongside Thunder teammate Phoebe Litchfield in the first of three ODIs against India.

Voll’s form for the Thunder and for Queensland in the WNCL was too good to ignore, with selectors turning to the 21-year-old for this series as Alyssa Healy’s replacement as she continues to recover from a knee injury that prematurely ended her WBBL campaign.

While Healy only managed a few games, Voll made a statement at the top of the order in her first season for the Thunder, with the aggressive right-hander smashing 330 runs at a strike rate just shy of 145.

She enjoyed career highs in runs scored, strike rate and average for a season, while she also smashed two scores in the 90s to help the Thunder reach the finals.

Voll now gets the chance to test herself against India, with two matches in Brisbane before the series shifts to Perth next week.

“It’s been a while since we’ve had a fresh face in this side, and there’s already a lot of excitement with the fresh face, fresh energy,” McGrath said on the eve of the first game.

“She’s been knocking down the door for a while and she’s more than ready at this level. I’m really excited for her.

“It’s worked out perfectly for her that she joins the squad in her home state. She’s more than ready, so if she gets her opportunity then I’m so excited for her.”

This will be Australia’s first 50-over game since March when they enjoyed three comfortable victories over Bangladesh, and a largely settled side will be looking to return to winning ways after their shock semi-final loss in the recent T20 World Cup.

Healy will miss the series but is expected to return for some matches in New Zealand later this month, with McGrath looking forward to captaining the side where she says her biggest strength is her calmness.

“It’s pretty cool, I’m excited,” the Strikers skipper said.

“Every opportunity I get to lead any side, I love and thrive off of it. I’m really excited to work alongside Ash Gardner in a new partnership. We’ve done one game together in Ireland and I’m really excited to have a three-game series together.

“It’s really good to have ‘Midge’ (Healy) up here as well because she’s still really involved with the squad.

“This is the first time I’ve had a full series as captain. Previously, I’ve stepped in at the end of a series or the end of a tournament.

“Every time you get to lead, it’s exciting. I like to put my own spin on it because every captain is slightly different.”

The hosts are warm favourites for Thursday’s first clash, with plenty of familiar faces in the Indian squad, with the likes of Jemimah Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma featuring in the recent WBBL.

“It’s great. I think we see that so much now in the women’s game,” McGrath said.

“There were a lot of the Indians that played in the recent Big Bash series, and then most of us play in the WPL (Women’s Premier League) as well, so we’ve formed those connections and friendships and have learnt a bit about each other’s games.

“There are positives and negatives to each, but it’s always nice to have a series and catch up with some friends that you make in franchise cricket.”