Seven years after making her debut for England Women, Linsey Smith has signed her first full central contract, and Em Arlott and Emma Lamb have received their first skills contracts.
Ten players on the ECB’s list of 17 full contracts for 2025–2026 were given one-year contracts, and seven more were starting the second year of their two-year agreements.
Tammy Beaumont, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Sophia Dunkley, Lauren Filer, Mahika Gaur, Danielle Gibson, Sarah Glenn, and Freya Kemp have all signed one-year contracts with Linsey Smith.
Lauren Bell, Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Heather Knight, Amy Jones, Nat Sciver-Brunt, and Danni Wyatt-Hodge are all starting their second year of current contracts.
There were no shocks on the list, as England’s veteran seam bowler Kate Cross was left off after revealing in September that she had been informed her contract would not be renewed during a nearly 12-year international career.
The managing director of England Women, Clare Connor, stated that “the door to selection is never closed on any domestic cricketer” in response to Cross’s absence on Wednesday, despite the fact that Cross has not yet disclosed her overall playing future.
Prior to being called up for England’s March 2024 trip of New Zealand, Linsey Smith played nine Twenty20 Internationals till the middle of 2019. She then spent over five years on the sidelines. In May, she made her ODI debut against the West Indies and claimed five wickets.
During that home series against the West Indies, Arlott made her debut for her country at the age of 27.
Lamb, on the other hand, made her debut for England in a single Twenty20 International against New Zealand in 2021 before solidifying her position the following year. She made just two appearances for her nation in 2023 and had back surgery the previous year before making a comeback under Charlotte Edwards, the new head coach.
She and Arlott join Issy Wong and Ryana Macdonald-Gay on skills contracts, which are a rebranding of development contracts typically awarded to players the management believes can be crucial to England’s future. Both Wong and Macdonald-Gay had development contracts for 2024–2025.
The contracts, according to Connor, demonstrated “our confidence in this group of players” as England prepares to replicate India’s recent 50-over World Cup triumph at home in the Women’s T20 World Cup, which will take place at Lord’s on July 5.
“Linsey Smith, Emma Lamb and Em Arlott have all made important contributions for England across the last year and these contracts are both a reward for what they have achieved and an opportunity to develop their skills further,” Connor stated.
“After years of outstanding service to England Women’s cricket, Kate Cross is denied a central contract. No domestic cricket player ever loses their chance to be selected. Players who consistently score runs and take wickets in county cricket will always have a good chance of being selected for England’s teams.
“Everyone is eager to see what 2025–2026 will bring. India’s victory in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, in front of their own supporters, serves as a potent reminder of the influence that huge victories at home can have.
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