England Women sealed the ongoing three-match T20I series at home against the West Indies after winning the second game by nine wickets. They had already secured a dominant eight-wicket win in the first match. With two convincing wins, the new era under head coach Charlotte Edwards and captain Nat Sciver-Brunt has started on a strong note. One of the biggest positives has been the inclusion of Em Arlott.
Arlott made her debut in the first game and impressed with her discipline. The 27-year-old pacer took the only wicket of Aaliyah Alleyne and ended with figures of 1 for 28 in her four overs. While her figures showed just one wicket, her control, length variation, and accuracy stood out.
The focus was on whether she could back that up in the second match. Arlott did just that. She was named Player of the Match after a brilliant spell of 3 for 14 in four overs. Opening the bowling, she struck early, dismissing West Indies captain Hayley Matthews, who had scored a century in the first match. It was a length ball that shaped into the stumps. Matthews missed it while going for a big shot across the line and was bowled. Arlott then dismissed Zaida James and Stafanie Taylor as well.
Interestingly, she bowled all her overs within the first eight overs of the match. When asked about this at the post-match presentation, Nat Sciver-Brunt said: “Em (Arlott) taking a wicket in the first over and then getting on a roll… it seemed a shame to take her off.”
For the Latest Sports News: Follow RevSportz
A truly wild 48 hours for Em ✨
Hear all about it 👇
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) May 23, 2025
Arlott earned her call-up to the senior team through strong performances in domestic cricket. With Sciver-Brunt not bowling due to an Achilles issue and both Dani Gibson and Freya Kemp out injured, a spot opened up. England needed a seam-bowling all-rounder and Arlott grabbed her chance with both hands.
She also offers value with the bat. In the ongoing One Day Cup, she scored her maiden professional hundred for Warwickshire. Coming in at number seven, with her team struggling at 22 for 5, she batted for 40 overs and scored 130 against Essex. Speaking to Wisden, Arlott said that walking out to bat as high as No.7 was a different experience. And innings sent a message that she is no longer just a bowler.
Though she hasn’t yet batted for England, that innings may have influenced Edwards. Arlott recalled how unexpected the selection call was. She told Wisden that it came late at night and she initially thought it was a mistake. She let it ring for a while before picking up, thinking the coach might have called her by accident.
This is not the first time Arlott has been picked for the senior squad. In 2021, she was named in the Test squad against India and later in the ODI squad, but didn’t make it into the XI. In 2022, she missed another chance due to COVID-19 after being selected for a Test against South Africa. She admitted to Wisden that at the time, it felt like the stars didn’t align.
But now Arlott feels grateful that she didn’t debut back then. She believes the experiences she gained on and off the field since then have made her a better player. Over the winter, she trained and played in Australia with Western Australia, which she said helped her grow a lot. She told Wisden it was the best thing she’s done, and that she feels like she’s three times the person she was a year ago.
Her numbers back that up. In the 2024-25 Women’s National Cricket League, she took five wickets in four games for Western Australia. She followed that with 201 runs and 14 wickets in seven games in the 2025 ECB Women’s One-Day Cup. Those performances have now earned her a spot in the upcoming ODI series squad too.
With the ODI World Cup just months away, Arlott has a real chance. If she continues to perform, a place in the England World Cup squad might turn out to be a reality.
Also Read: Hayley Matthews’ lone fight continues as West Indies fall short against England