Oman will host the first of three England women’s cricket training camps as the team prepares for upcoming competitions, with a focus on evaluating emerging talent alongside established players.
building for the Future: England Women’s Cricket Evaluates Next Generation
England is strategically blending experienced players with rising stars through a series of training camps and intra-squad matches to build depth ahead of major tournaments.
- England is utilizing training camps in Oman, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates to assess players.
- Several young players, including Kira Chathli and Tilly Corteen-Coleman, are being given opportunities to impress.
- The team is looking to create competition for places, with all players considered for World Cup selection.
- Specific skill gaps, such as a bowling all-rounder and left-handed batters, are being addressed.
following the Oman camp,the team will travel to South Africa before culminating in an intra-squad series featuring the country’s 30 best players in the United Arab Emirates. “We’re going to be putting the best against the best and we’ll get a very, very clear indication of where that next group of players are,” Lewis said.
Wicketkeeper Kira Chathli and 18-year-old spinner Tilly Corteen-Coleman, both from Surrey, are among those in Oman, alongside Essex batter Jodi Grewcock, Hampshire keeper Rhianna Southby, and Warwickshire all-rounder charis Pavely – a clear signal of players on the cusp of selection. They are joined by Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Lauren Filer, Danielle Gibson, Freya Kemp, Em Arlott, Issy Wong, Mahika Gaur and Emma Lamb, all of whom have previously been capped.
Several high-profile players are currently unavailable.Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, Lauren Bell, Sophie Ecclestone, Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Linsey Smith are competing in the Women’s Premier League in India. Others, including Amy Jones, Tammy Beaumont, former captain Knight and Sophia Dunkley, are receiving time off after the WBBL, as is 18-year-old Hundred sensation davina Perrin.
Deciding when to integrate the next generation is a perennial challenge for any coach, especially with a World Cup on the horizon. Lewis faces that decision with a team that has dominated the women’s game for a generation.
“We’re trying to create that competitive edge now to our players so that it’s not all done and dusted who’s in the team,” lewis explained. “I spoke to the players the other day about that. I said everyone in this room is in contention of playing at a World Cup. It doesn’t matter if you’re 18 or 35.”
Opportunities will likely arise sooner for some,driven by specific needs within the squad. Lewis highlighted the need for a “bowling all-rounder,” which could benefit 20-year-old Kemp, who has battled back stress fractures for three years, and Gibson, who missed the World Cup due to the same issue.
A shortage of left-handed batters has been a concern since Lydia Greenway’s retirement in 2016, so much so that former bowler Tash Farrant was brought in from commentary duties in India to provide left-handed practice for the bowlers. Kemp, Grewcock, and 21-year-old Pavely offer potential solutions.
“I don’t want easy selections,” Lewis stated firmly. “I want it to be hard. I want people to be banging on the door and saying ‘you’ve got to pick me’ and that’s hopefully where we’ll get to come to the end of Abu Dhabi.”
