England have selected uncapped, teenage left-arm spinner Tilly Corteen-Coleman in their squad for the upcoming home T20 World Cup.
The 18-year-old has never previously been named in an England squad, and stands out as a wildcard pick this time. While England have trialled new faces in Charlotte Edwards’ tenure, the old guard have remained as a core group.
"I'd say firstly, being a fresh face, I feel like people haven't had that exposure against me,” says Corteen-Coleman. “I think it does make a big difference. I feel like I'm working on challenging both edges of the bat and I love performing under pressure. I think we all bring something slightly different, but I feel like that works well."
Having only made her county debut for Kent in 2024, Corteen-Coleman’s career so far has followed an astonishing trajectory. She made her professional debut less than a month after her county debut, and her Hundred debut for Southern Brave that summer during her school holidays.
That Charlotte Edwards was the Southern Brave coach at the time is important to note. Edwards, a former Kent player herself, also presented Corteen-Coleman with her first U11’s county cap. She played Southern Brave’s opening match of the season in 2024, and dismissed Meg Lanning with her fourth ball of the game.
“I first saw her bowling at Chipshead Cricket Club for Surrey’s second XI against Southern Vipers academy,” says Edwards. “I instantly saw a girl that looked a little bit like Sophie [Ecclestone], if I’m honest.
“Then I remember thinking about her that winter, and then I took that punt on her in The Hundred… I didn’t really know much about her character from the first time I met her, and experienced working with her in The Hundred as a 16-year-old. I’ve never met a young girl so mature, so ahead of her years in many ways, but also really skillful.”
While clearly talented, before last year, she hadn’t torn up the domestic wicket-taking charts in the way that might be expected of a player bolted into the squad for a home World Cup. She took eight wickets in eight matches in last year’s T20 Blast, but lit up The Hundred, conceding 5.75 runs per set and taking 11 wickets. She was the stand-out spinner in the competition, with the best economy rate, and only second to Mady Villiers on the wicket-taking charts. Over the winter, she was involved in all of England’s winter training camps, a clear sign that Edwards was starting the process of integrating her into the senior side.
“The difference we’ve seen from year one of The Hundred to year two where she was probably the best spinner in the comp, and then this winter, physically where she’s gone to and how she’s bowled,” says Edwards. “One of the first things I said in this role was about performance, and she’s performed and she deserves her opportunity to play in a home World Cup. I don’t think there’s any hesitation from anyone in the group that she’s ready to perform on this stage.”
Exposure to big crowds and high stakes early on in her career during The Hundred is also an important point in Corteen-Coleman’s selection. In the auction this year, she was bought for £105,000 by Southern Brave, becoming the most expensive uncapped player in the competition.
"I've been very lucky," she says. "Women's cricket has kind of been on an uphill trajectory for the last couple of years now, so I've had that exposure in front of crowds for domestic and county cricket, but also in the Hundred. I suppose you won't know if you're ready until you're there, but I feel like I've got a great support network around me and I feel like I'm as ready as I can be."
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However, despite the noise around her inclusion in the T20 World Cup squad, how much she might actually play remains to be seen. She’s one of three left-arm spinners in England’s squad, and it’s unlikely they would all play in the same XI. Given that one of the other two is Sophie Ecclestone, and the other – Linsey Smith – has been revelatory since her recall to the side last year, it’s hard to see how Corteen-Coleman fits in unless one of those two goes down injured. Perhaps, given that she bowls in the powerplay for Surrey, she’s a more natural fit as a rotational option for Smith than she would be for Ecclestone.
“Just because they’re three left-armers, if they’re your best spinners they should be picked,” says Edwards. “They’re all very different left-arm spinners, so I don’t think you can compare, but we’re really happy with the balance of the squad and the options we’ve got going into a massive couple of months.”
England have also selected Freya Kemp and Dani Gibson, two players they’ve been desperate to have fully fit amid their injury struggles over the last few years. The omission of both Tammy Beaumont and Maia Bouchier, and favouring Issy Wong over Em Arlott, gives this squad a fresh feel, even if they could pick a top six which boasts almost 650 T20I caps between them. If England include one of Kemp and Gibson as well as Sciver-Brunt, and a specialist pacer, there’s a world in which all four of their spinners could feature in the same XI. But, in a World Cup in England, it would look like a one-dimensional side.
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Corteen-Coleman’s age also means she will have grown up watching nearly all of her England teammates. Of the 15 squad members, Freya Kemp, Alice Capsey and Issy Wong are the only three who could have attended secondary school at the same time as her; the rest would have already moved on by the time she started. Particularly relevant in that regard is Sophie Ecclestone, who made her England debut when Corteen-Coleman was 10 years old. As the best left-arm spinner in the world, it’s hardly surprising Corteen-Coleman grew up looking to emulate her.
"Growing up, she [Ecclestone] was my idol, my role model, so to be alongside her this winter has been incredible," she says. "I've learned loads from her, from Linz [Linsey Smith] as well, we’ve had some great conversations. I'm always picking their brains and kind of battering them. They've been really great.
"I understand there's an element of they might think that I'm competing for a spot, but for me, it's not about that at all. I've loved learning from them and I see them as role models and how can I learn from them?"
In selecting a teenager, there’s always going to be an element of taking a punt. The specific circumstances that have allowed Edwards to take that risk speak to both Corteen-Coleman’s talent, and several strands falling into place at the right time.
Both of their all-rounders returning to fitness in time for the tournament freed up a place for a specialist in the squad. Corteen-Coleman’s Hundred last year put her at the head of the spin production line, at a time when England were already keeping an eye on the 2026 summer. That allowed her to make her case as part of the wider group of players England looked at in their winter training camps. It was the perfect run at selection, executed by a talented young player.
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