Em Arlott

Em Arlott's international debut was a long time in the making, but her Player-of-the-Match performance in just her second game in an England shirt made the wait worthwhile. She was originally called into squads to face India in 2021 and South Africa the following year, when she had to leave the camp before the series began because she was suffering the after-effects of Covid-19. That last near-miss left Arlott fearing that the chance to play for her country might have passed her by.

But a strong start to the domestic 50-over competition in 2025 - 14 wickets for Warwickshire up to that point put her joint-second on the wicket-takers' list and her pivotal innings of 130 against Essex with new England head coach Charlotte Edwards looking on - meant opportunity knocked once more. Arlott made her international debut aged 27 in the first T20I against West Indies in Canterbury, taking 1 for 28. In the second match of the series, she took 3 for 14 in a remarkable four-over spell in Hove, including 18 dot balls that helped reduce West Indies to 81 for 9.

After that performance, Arlott revealed she had suffered a lengthy battle with anxiety and credited a stint with Western Australia in the WNCL over the 2024-25 English winter with helping her break through her challenges on and off the field. Arlott also made her ODI debut during West Indies' visit and, while India posed a sterner test later in the summer, she gave the clear impression that her career had finally taken off.