Freya Kemp rejects retirement talk after back injuries, eyes England comeback

Freya Kemp pushed back against any talk of retirement after two stress fractures in her back before the age of 19, insisting the injuries did not make her see a future only as a batter. For England’s left-arm pace bowling all-rounder, the comeback has been as much about restraint as revival, with coaches managing every step of her return to bowling.

Kemp’s back problems sidelined her for the 2023 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup and, after a December 2022 stress fracture, left her playing as a batter only for England and Southern Vipers. She returned to bowling for England in July 2024, a significant marker in a career that had already been interrupted twice by the same injury. In her own assessment, the setback was “really complex,” but she said she was grateful to still contribute with the bat while rebuilding the bowling side of her game.

That return came at Hove, where England beat New Zealand by 59 runs in the first T20 in July 2024. Kemp bowled and finished 26 not out off 17 balls, a sharp reminder of the all-round value England have been trying to protect. The ICC said her recovery involved closely managed bowling loads and limited deliveries each week, an approach that reflected both her injury history and the physical demands placed on young fast-bowling all-rounders.

Kemp said missing the previous World Cup had been “gutted,” and that she had needed to trust her body and the people around her. England’s management has repeatedly stressed workload control for the teenager, whose rapid rise has brought as much scrutiny as opportunity. The ICC noted that she had already played three ODIs and four T20Is in 2024, a heavy enough schedule for a player still learning how to balance pace, bat and recovery.

Her path into the senior set-up has been fast. Kemp made her senior Sussex debut in 2019 while still in youth cricket, joined the England Women’s Academy as a 14-year-old, and earned her first England Women ODI call-up in September 2022 before receiving her first central contract the following month. England later selected her for its maiden major-event outing at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in the UAE, a sign that the game still sees her as more than a comeback story, even if her workload remains a central part of the plan.