Laura Marsh began her career as a medium-pace seamer, and was called into the England side in 2006 to make her debut against India, after an injury to Nicky Shaw. However, injuries caused her to reinvent herself as an off-spinner the following year, a move which proved beneficial both to herself and England.

Selected in the 2009 Women's World Cup squad, the tournament was to be the making of her as an international spin bowler. Taking a career-best 5-15 against Pakistan, she played a key role in England's victory, finishing as lead tournament wicket-taker with six wickets at 11.33 at an incredible economy rate of 3.40, including a spell against Sri Lanka where she conceded just seven runs in her four overs. She was named in the ICC's Tournament XI as a result.

She went on to feature prominently in England's 2009 World Twenty20 victory, opening the bowling and taking 6 for 68 across the tournament.

She also has international half-centuries in all three formats and, having been at the crease in July 2009 to secure England's first ODI series win against Australia since 1976, she was promoted to open the batting in the Twenty20 series against the Aussies in 2011, and hit 121 runs in the series. She will long be remembered for her mammoth 55 off 304 balls in 343 minutes in the Wormsley Test of 2013, in which she batted for over 5 hours with Heather Knight and helped England draw the Test and eventually win the series to regain the Ashes.

A shoulder problem saw her out of international cricket for 18 months following that series, but she returned for the 2015 tour of New Zealand, and went on to feature for Sydney Sixers in the inaugural Women's Big Bash League. Omitted from the tour to South Africa in early 2016, she was recalled for the 2016 WT20 after an injury to fellow off-spinner Danielle Hazell and took 3 for 12 in their group match against Pakistan. Raf Nicholson