England prodigy putting hard yards to keep T20 World Cup dreams on track
Fresh off recovering from a debilitating injury, England’s Freya Kemp will look to deliver her best in her maiden ICC Women’s T20 World Cup appearance.
At just 19, pace bowling all-rounder Freya Kemp has already suffered through two stress fracture injuries, that have limited her international appearances over the last two years. While the first occurrence in December 2022 ruled her out of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2023, the second one happened after the tour of India in the 2023/24 season.
“I was gutted to miss out on the World Cup and it was something I had to deal with,” Kemp said while discussing the initial injury that made her miss the tournament in South Africa.
Kemp asserted that recovery was a tough journey that required mental fortitude and trust.
“It’s very hard, there’s no beating around the bush,” Kemp said. “It’s very hard to trust your body and I’m just trying to break that cycle. I have to trust it and the people around me.”
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England’s sports science and medicine team have played a key role in Kemp’s resurgence, which has seen her play three ODIs and four T20Is in the 2024 season. Her closely managed workload, which sees Kemp bowl a limited number of deliveries each week, have put the all-rounder on track for the global megaevent.
“I’m just thankful for all of the people around me, my family, my friends, my team-mates and all of our support staff.
“I couldn’t do it without them and they’re in this process with me.”
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Just one of the two pacers in the squad along with Lauren Bell, Kemp’s job will be to provide initial breakthroughs as a new-ball pacer or as the first change.
The youngster was already preparing for the UAE challenge, with a focus on adapting to the conditions as as possible.
“Obviously Dubai and Sharjah can be quite different as venues. They’re relatively similar but there are differences, so it’s just getting used to those, adapting quickly and assessing and communicating well as a team.
“We want to play to our strengths and put our own spin on it. I just want to be there when the team needs me and to try to make an impact.”
England are in Group B of the competition along with South Africa, West Indies, Scotland, and Bangladesh. They open their campaign in a day-night encounter against Bangladesh on 5 October in Sharjah.