Alice Capsey among six new faces on England Women central contract list

Lauren Bell, Charlie Dean, Freya Kemp, Emma Lamb and Issy Wong have all been awarded their first central contracts

England have confirmed an 18-strong list of women's players awarded central contracts for the 2022/23 cycle.

Teenage allrounder Alice Capsey, who has made 13 white-ball appearances since making her debut in July 2022, is one of six players to earn their first central contract.

Southern Vipers trio Lauren Bell, Charlie Dean, and Freya Kemp (the youngest contracted player at 17) plus Emma Lamb (Thunder) and Issy Wong (Central Sparks) are the other new faces on the list.

All six players made their international debuts under former head coach Lisa Keightley.

^{Issy Wong [Gareth Copley/Getty Images] and Emma Lamb [Dan Mullan/Getty Images] are among the new faces on the list}

Retired bowler Anya Shrubsole has dropped off the list while Georgia Elwiss, Katie George, Mady Villiers and Lauren Winfield-Hill have lost their central deals.

The contracts will run from November 1 and last for 12 months.

The awarding of the latest batch of central contracts comes hot on the heels of news of a £3.5m funding-boost for the women's domestic game.

From February 2023, there will be 80 ECB-funded professional players in the regional system in addition to the centrally contracted cohort.

Director of England Women's cricket, Jonathan Finch, said: "It's great to be able to share the list of centrally contracted England Women's cricketers for the next 12 months, and huge congratulations to all those who have earned their contract.

^{Lauren Winfield-Hill has lost her central contract [Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images]}

"Introducing six new names on to the list of contracted players is exciting and provides a new look and feel to the group.

"We have a really exciting 12 months of cricket ahead and we feel this group of players will form the foundations of our side that will take us through various bilateral series, the Women's Ashes and the ICC Women's T20 World Cup.

"Our thanks as ever go to the England Women's player partnership and the PCA who continue to play an important role in representing the international players during our ongoing discussions."

England Women central contracts 2022/23: Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Katherine Brunt, Alice Capsey, Kate Cross, Freya Davies, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Tash Farrant, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones, Freya Kemp, Heather Knight, Emma Lamb, Nat Sciver, Issy Wong, Danni Wyatt

Related Topics

• ECB announce £3.5m funding increase for professional women's domestic cricket