TILLY TIME – England’s youngest spinner set for big stage

England won the first Women’s T20 World Cup on home soil in 2009. Their captain then was Charlotte Edwards. Their head coach now is Charlotte Edwards.

So yes, there is history in the air.

But if England are going to make a serious run this summer, one of their most interesting weapons may be the player with the least international experience: 18-year-old Tilly Corteen-Coleman.

The squad brings a wealth of experience to the party. Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt will be playing her seventh T20 World Cup, Danni Wyatt-Hodge her eighth, and the squad includes over 960 T20 international caps.

At the other end of the spectrum are players heading to a T20 World Cup for the first time: Issy Wong, Lauren Filer, and Tilly Corteen-Coleman.

And it’s 18-year-old spinner Corteen-Coleman that we at TNWSM have our eyes on. 

In England’s recent ODI win against New Zealand, she took two wickets and – maybe even more impressively – held her nerve at the tail-end of the order to help stand-in captain Charlie Dean see out the one-wicket win. 

It was Corteen-Coleman’s first England cap.

Why Tilly Corteen-Coleman has been selected

She may have been uncapped when Charlotte Edwards selected her for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup but there’s a reason the young left-arm spinner caught Edwards’ eye.

Here’s what you need to know about the youngest member of the England squad. 

In May 2024, aged 16, Corteen-Coleman took four wickets with successive balls in the aptly named Charlotte Edwards Cup. Her bowling figures finished on 5-19. 

Which, frankly, is ridiculous at any age.

She has already shown she has no fear of reputation. In 2024, as The Hundred’s youngest ever player and on debut, her first wicket was Australian great Meg Lanning. In the Hundred in 2025, she took out England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt for a duck during a 4-13 spell for Southern Brave. 

The youngster hit the headlines again in March 2026.

For the first time, The Hundred, used an auction to assign players to teams. Each of the eight franchise-style teams bid against each other for players, and Corteen-Coleman earned a £105,000 deal to remain with Southern Brave. 

The year before, she earned £12,500 with the same team.

Quite the rise up the cricket scoreboard in 12 months.

Her international debut added to the sense that the big names don’t bother her. Her first international wicket – in her debut game – was dangerous New Zealand opener Georgia Plimmer. Later in the innings, Corteen-Coleman struck again, removing top scorer, Maddy Green on 88.

Away from cricket, Corteen-Coleman is a huge dog lover. She has four: a pug, a chihuahua and two sausage dogs crossed with chihuahuas.

England have experience everywhere you look. What Corteen-Coleman offers is different: left-arm spin, a taste for big wickets, and the inconvenience of being a bit of an unknown.

Fearless in attack, capable of taking wickets in clumps, and calm enough to survive a one-wicket chase on debut, she is one of England’s most intriguing tournament prospects.

The stage is set for a serious summer of cricket. 

Or, as Lauren Bell told us: “It’s the best against the best — that’s what I’m excited for.”

Credits: ICC, Instagram

England’s T20 WWC fixtures

Fri 12th June 18:30: v Sri Lanka, Edgbaston

Tues 16th June 18:30: v Ireland, Hampshire Bowl

Sat 20th June 18:30: v Scotland, Headingley

Weds 24th June 18:30: v West Indies, Lord’s

Sat 27th June 18:30: v New Zealand, The Oval

All matches live on Sky Sports.
The England v Sri Lanka game will be free-to-air on Sky Mix (Freeview channel 11; Freesat channel 144; Sky channel 151) and Sky’s YouTube channel. Also available on Sky One.
England’s remaining group fixtures will be available for free on the Sky Sports app.