What rising teenage cricketer Phoebe Litchfield shares with David Beckham

“He was quality and we were just like 12, 13,” Griffin said. “He was very clear in how he was going play and very skilful; you could see he was going to be a special talent.”

The cricket coach said Beckham’s side were a quality outfit and that the club produced a “number of different players at different levels” including Harry Kane.

“We always tried to keep the ball off [Beckham] which was very difficult,” Griffin said. “David was a very special talent at a young age – you could see he was going on to big things.”

Griffin said it was easy to forget he was so young. The same applies to Litchfield.

“It’s because they are mature beyond their years,” he said.

Hailing from Orange, Litchfield is already back in her home town after exiting the WBBL bubble.

The youngster rose to fame on the Australian cricketing scene after a video of her in the nets at 16 went viral online.

Litchfield had a stellar second year after fearing a second-year slump that never came.

Instead of regressing, Litchfield took hold of her role in the team. She took control of the middle of the batting order throughout the season and managed to save the Thunder when the top order was found wanting in a number of games.

“She’s grown again, from last year to this year, and she will continue to do that,” Griffin said. “She’s a great student of the game but she’s also down to earth, she knows how to switch off from cricket, and that’s really important as well.”

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Last week, cricketing great Alex Blackwell described the youngster as “fearless”.

The 37-year-old said part of the reason she decided to retire from the game was knowing she was putting the future of the game in the hands of Litchfield.

Grabbing the microphone after the Thunder’s title win on Saturday night and running off to interview all of her teammates, the 17-year-old showed just how fearless she is, both on and off the field.

“Being English, you look at these players and it’s quite scary from an international point of view,” Griffin said. “Australia have a conveyer belt of young talent that’s coming through.

“The international scene for Australia is gonna be strong for many years to come.”

Griffin said the Thunder were able to walk away with the win this season due to the mix of young and old.

“Bringing in that mix of youth with the experience…it really complemented each other,” he said.

“They just had a really good time playing with smiles on their faces and enjoying what they were doing; they switched off from cricket and they enjoyed each other’s company.”