Freya Kemp Returns to England Squad After 14-Month Bowling Absence
freya kemp is back in England’s squad for the summer’s T20 World Cup after a 14-month spell away from competitive bowling. She said injury never pushed her toward retirement or a batting-only future, and England now expect her to resume a bowling role after a long interruption to her all-round game.
Kemp And England’s Bowling Plans
“It has been a long few years but I am hopefully nearly out of the other side,” Kemp said. “It is horrible. It teaches you a lot about yourself and how to overcome hard stuff, and definitely teaches you a lot of resilience.”
That return to the bowling conversation matters because she has not bowled in an official match since January 2025, even though she has been bowling in practice since January and worked closely with England fast-bowling coach Chris Liddle. She did bowl in three of the five intra-squad matches England held in South Africa in March.
Freya Kemp’s Long Injury Spell
Kemp’s route back has been shaped by back problems that arrived early. She made her England debut at 17, and by 19 she had suffered two back stress fractures, including one that left her unable to bowl competitively for 14 months. She also had another stress reaction in the same area after those two fractures.
During that stretch, her batting developed. Kemp made her first professional century last year and played a full season with Perth Scorchers last winter as a top-order batter, but she was clear that the injury period did not change her view of bowling. “I just really enjoy having an impact on the game as much as I can,” she said. “I love bowling. I don’t think I would ever give that up.”
England’s Summer Selection
England have picked Kemp for the T20 World Cup and are expected to have her bowl against New Zealand, India, and in the tournament that begins on 12 June. She will not bowl in the 50-over series against New Zealand that begins on Sunday, which keeps her workload controlled before the shorter format arrives.
The squad call also fits a wider England need. Charlotte Edwards namechecked Kemp earlier this year when discussing the value of bowling all-rounders for the T20 World Cup, and England have not had a left-hander consistently in their top order since Lydia Greenway retired in 2016. Kemp’s left-handed batting gives them another option, but the bigger story is that her bowling is back in play after months in which it had been missing from official matches.
