Host England enters this Women’s T20 World Cup with the weight of expectations on its shoulders. No England side has ever lost a Women’s World Cup (across both formats) on home soil.

Nat Sciver-Brunt leads a commendable bunch of 15 who are hoping to prevail over the fickle nature of the T20 game and a pool of fierce competitors to lift the trophy at Lord’s come July 5.

Here’s what you need to know about the England squad featuring in the 2026 edition of the T20 showpiece.

Sophia Dunkley

Sophia Dunkley comes into this T20 World Cup having evolved into one of the established batters in this England squad, and will have a major role to play in setting the tone at the top of the order.

A graceful opener, she has experience across The Hundred, WBBL, and WPL, and is capable of providing explosive starts when at her best. However, she comes into this tournament with a string of low scores behind her, and will be hoping to brush past that poor form.

Amy Jones

Giving England a sense of security behind the stumps is Amy Jones, whose skillful glovework behind the stumps has earned her a reputation as one of the finest wicketkeepers in international cricket. With the bat, she has been entrusted with more responsibility – even earning a promotion to number three in the absence of captain Nat Sciver-Brunt – and she will likely be key in the middle–order at number five in this tournament.

Heather Knight

The T20 World Cup has often brought heartbreak for Heather Knight. The 35-year-old has lost two finals, seen her side eliminated after its semifinal was washed out, and was forced off the field with a calf strain in her last appearance in the competition as England was knocked out by West Indies. In 2026, she comes in having moved on from captaincy and free to just score runs, and will be hoping that this time there is no heartbreak on home soil.

Danni Wyatt-Hodge

Danni Wyatt-Hodge is a linchpin at the top of the order for this England team. She is the batter most adept at finding the boundary and exploiting the PowerPlay in the top-order, and England keenly felt her absence when she missed a recent T20I against India on parental leave. Possessing a wealth of experience in international and franchise cricket, she had an outstanding WBBL for Hobart Hurricanes earlier this year, and will be hoping to carry that form into this World Cup.

Nat Sciver-Brunt

Simply put, Nat Sciver-Brunt is one of the elite players in international cricket, and England’s best player. A genuine all-rounder capable of going through the gears with bat in hand and prising out wickets with the ball, England will need its captain to come to the party if it is to win the title on home soil. She was in outstanding form for Mumbai Indians in the WPL earlier this year – scoring the tournament’s first century – but could potentially have her bowling limited by an Achilles injury that has kept her out of preparatory series’ against New Zealand and India.

Charlie Dean

It is a sign of how highly England rates Charlie Dean that it has entrusted her with vice-captaincy in recent times. Her leadership has been impressive, and she was at the helm of recent series wins against New Zealand and India in the absence of Nat Sciver-Brunt. A technically correct batter who has batted responsibly with the tail regularly, Dean’s biggest impact is likely to come with her pinpoint accurate off-spin, while she is also a gun fielder capable of making a decisive impact in the field.

Alice Capsey

Alice Capsey was just 17 when she made her England debut in 2022, which perhaps explains why it feels as though she has been around for a long time despite being just 21. One of the most aggressive batters in the side, her form has often been slightly inconsistent but she is capable of being incredibly devastating when she finds her touch, as New Zealand and India both found out in the recently concluded series. England has a question about where she will bat, given that she has scored runs both at the top of the order and through the middle.

Dani Gibson

When Dani Gibson was made the most expensive purchase at the player auction for The Hundred in March, she had not played a T20I for England since the 2024 T20 World Cup. Her recent career has often been marred by injuries, but she has now returned to international colours, and her value to this side as a genuine all-rounder capable of taking regular wickets through the middle and scoring briskly, and gun fielder is already evident.

Freya Kemp

Few have been as unlucky with injuries as Freya Kemp. She had suffered two serious back injuries by 19, and has had to have her workload meticulously managed by England in order to get her back onto the field. When she is there though, her value to this side is clear. A rare left-arm option with bat and ball, Kemp is capable of changing games on her own as she showed in the second T20I against India where she scored an unbeaten 39 from 13 balls and took two for 15.

Lauren Bell

Lauren Bell has quickly become the trump card and leader of the England bowling attack. A tall seamer capable of extracting movement and bounce with the new ball, Bell followed an outstanding season in The Hundred (19 wickets at 8.47 for Southern Brave) with a revelatory season in WPL for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, taking 12 wickets at 16.58 as batters struggled to score against her at all. She now comes into a home T20 World Cup with plenty of responsibility on her shoulders on the bowling front.

Tilly Corteen-Coleman

At just 18 years of age, Tilly Corteen-Coleman is comfortably the youngest player in this England squad. She was something of a late bolter for the squad, making her debut in against New Zealand after impressing in The Hundred and in England’s extended preparatory camp in South Africa, and while her role in this tournament is likely to be as a squad player, she is one to watch for the future.

Sophie Ecclestone

A year ago after ODI and T20I series against India, Sophie Ecclestone revealed that she had considered quitting cricket after a tough T20 World Cup 2024 and Ashes series. One year on, she says she is in a better place, and England will be hoping that her mercurial talent as a left-arm spinner and powerful lower-order hitter will be able to power it to glory at home. She has also worked on her fielding and fitness, both previously areas of criticism.

Lauren Filer

About a year before she made her England debut in 2023, Lauren Filer was sacked from her job in a supermarket for spending too much time playing cricket. She quickly turned heads for her ability to bowl at speeds very few could bowl at, and has spoken about her ambition of hitting the 80mph mark. While she will likely start the tournament behind Lauren Bell and Issy Wong, she will undoubtedly be a handful for batters if she gets the chance to feature.

Linsey Smith

Linsey Smith is a player who is used to having to wait. She made a handful T20I appearances after making her debut in 2019, but then had to wait five years to get back into the side ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup. Since then, she has been a relatively consistent figure in the white-ball sides, and had a strong ODI World Cup in India last year as well. She comes in with good form, having won Player of the Series against New Zealand, and will look to trouble batters with her accurate, stump-to-stump left-arm spin.

Issy Wong

It seems strange to think that a player who has been around the England setup for as long as Issy Wong has is yet to make an appearance at the T20 World Cup, yet such is the case for the talented speedster. Wong was a travelling reserve in the 2023 edition, but did not feature, and missed the 2024 edition. However, now fully fit and seemingly back to her rapid best, England will hope she can use her abundant talent to rip through oppositions on home soil.

Published on Jun 12, 2026