Teenagers Alice Capsey and Freya Kemp awarded first England central contracts

Teenagers Alice Capsey and Freya Kemp are among six new faces to receive their first England central contracts.Capsey, 18, and Kemp, 17, have both enjoyed rapid rises to the international arena and have now been formally put on the England payroll, joining fellow all-rounders Charlie Dean and Emma Lamb as well as pace pair Lauren Bell and Issy Wong.Kemp became the youngest England cricketer to score a T20I half-century when she hit 51 against India in the summer, while Capsey won her second successive Hundred title with Oval Invincibles and became a fixture in the national side.The influx of fresh blood is a legacy of former head coach Lisa Keightley, who left her post at the end of the summer having helped introduce new, young talent into the squad.Five others have dropped off the 18-strong panel as a result, with Anya Shrubsole retired and Georgia Elwiss, Katie George, Mady Villiers and Lauren Winfield-Hill overlooked.Jonathan Finch, director of England women’s cricket, 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.’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.’