Davina Perrin will not feature in the England lineup that has been announced for the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup, while the selectors have taken a chance on a brand‑new face – 18‑year‑old Surrey spinner Tilly Corteen‑Coleman, who has never played at international level. The tournament will be staged on home soil, and Nat Sciver‑Brunt has been handed the captaincy for what will be her seventh appearance at a T20 World Cup. Sciver‑Brunt will lead a side that blends seasoned veterans with a handful of newcomers. Alongside her, the squad includes three other uncapped players: Corteen‑Coleman, Warwickshire pacer Issy Wong and Durham all‑rounder Lauren Filer, each earning their first call‑up for a senior England T20 World Cup.
Veteran Danni Wyatt‑Hodge of Surrey will be making her eighth appearance at this level, while Hampshire fast bowler Lauren Bell is expected to spearhead the pace attack. The vice‑captaincy has been awarded to Somerset’s Charlie Dean, adding another all‑round talent to an already deep roster. Head coach Charlotte Edwards explained the difficulty of the selection process: "There is no doubt that it has been incredibly tough to get to these 15 names. This is the hardest set of selection meetings I have been a part of because the pool of players to choose from is so strong and so many talented players have put their hand up to be a part of the squad, which is exactly what we want.
That is the nature of world‑class sport, and it is a privilege we don't take lightly to be able to make these difficult decisions. An ICC Women’s T20 World Cup on home soil is a special moment for the game in this country, and we are all really motivated by what could be ahead for this group of players and what they can achieve this summer." The tournament schedule pits England against Scotland and Ireland in the opening group matches, before the team faces the traditional powerhouses of New Zealand and India in the lead‑up series. Sciver‑Brunt expressed her excitement about captaining the side at home: "It is a huge honour to be leading England into a T20 World Cup at home in front of family and friends and all our passionate supporters.
We have all been looking forward to this summer and this tournament for some time now and the naming of the squad means it is almost here and we can't wait to get out onto the field and give it everything to win this World Cup again. I know how much winning in 2009 meant to the players and to Charlotte Edwards as captain, and being in the team under Heather Knight's leadership for the 2017 ODI World Cup win was incredibly special. Now the aim is to do something similar with this fantastic group of players who I know are putting their heart and soul into achieving our goal, and that hard work will continue right throughout the summer as we start with games against New Zealand and India before that tournament begins." For Corteen‑Coleman, the selection is the culmination of a remarkable rise through the English cricket pathway. She was first handed a Kent cap at the age of eleven, and now, at eighteen, she finds herself in the senior England squad.
"I got the good news which I was absolutely buzzing with," she said after the announcement. "I've been on cloud nine ever since. Being a fresh face, people haven't had that exposure against me which does make a big difference.
I love performing under pressure. I've had that exposure in front of crowds for domestic and county cricket but also in The Hundred.
You won't know until you're there but I feel like I've got a great support network around me and I'm as ready as I can be." The inclusion of such a young talent has sparked debate among commentators. Sky Sports cricket analyst Tash Farrant noted: "There's a huge amount of excitement. That was the one question on everyone's mind.
Would Tilly get picked? She got picked up for over £100k just a couple of months ago.
People could think that she was picked on just for her potential because she's only 18. But also, she's tried and tested in The Hundred format, playing for the Southern Brave.
She's won that competition once for them. She has been picked on potential, but more so because she has bowled brilliantly against some of the best players and she has really impressed Charlotte Edwards.
Charlotte Edwards was the coach of that Southern Brave team before she was the England women's coach. Tilly Corteen‑Coleman, I've played with her at Surrey, and I'm really excited to see what she can do at that next level up." Other players highlighted as key to England’s success include captain Nat Sciver‑Brunt, opening bowler Lauren Bell, and the all‑rounder Charlie Dean.
Former England captain Heather Knight, speaking to Sky Sports, emphasised the broader ambition of the home tournament: "Our ambition at the home Women’s T20 World Cup starting in June is to create a real legacy for women’s cricket in this country, emulating the Lionesses and Red Roses. The landscape of women's sport has changed considerably since 2017 and our side’s World Cup triumph, with England’s Lionesses winning back‑to‑back Euros titles in 2022 and 2025 – the first in front of a sold‑out Wembley – and the Red Roses securing the Rugby World Cup title at a Twickenham full house last September. The focus now is women’s cricket at the World Cup so it’s really exciting, not too far away now and a chance for us to do something really special as a side.
Home support was huge for us in 2017, the way the crowds built and the final at Lord’s, it’s super special. It’s a chance to have a real impact on the sport in your country and leave a legacy.
If we do our job right and have success this summer we can leave a real legacy on the sport of women’s cricket in this country. It took a little bit of time for that success to see changes and I think the landscape is very different now and – particularly in women’s cricket – there’s the structure beneath the game, the domestic game’s professional. It’s a lot more normal to be a women’s cricketer, there’s a lot more visibility. You’d hope now if we have that success and things go well for us the structures are in place to make the most of it and really make it a huge moment.
We want to do something similar and hopefully inspire kids to make a girl in cricket really normal and really great." Beyond the World Cup squad, the selectors have also announced line‑ups for the forthcoming Metro Bank One‑Day series against New Zealand and the two Vitality IT20 series against New Zealand and India. Five additional players have been added to the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup squad for the three‑match Metro Bank ODI series, including first‑time internationals Kira Chathli and Jodi Grewcock. Notably, Sophia Dunkley, Charlie Dean and Danni Wyatt‑Hodge will sit out the ODI series to manage workload and, in Wyatt‑Hodge’s case, to prepare for the arrival of her first child.
Sarah Glenn was omitted due to an ongoing recovery from a broken finger. The IT20 squads remain identical to the World Cup roster. Fans can watch England’s matches live on Sky Sports, with selected games streamed for free via the Sky Sports app, and the tournament will also be available contract‑free on the NOW platform for non‑Sky subscribers.
The excitement surrounding the squad selection, the blend of experience and youth, and the chance to defend a title on home turf set the stage for what promises to be a memorable campaign for England’s women’s cricket team.