'A superstar in the making' - teen's journey from dog-sitting to World Cup
A prodigious left-arm spinner, who is still uncapped at international level, Corteen-Coleman is the only new face in England's squad as they prepare for a home World Cup this summer and begin their quest for a first trophy since 2017, when Corteen-Coleman was just nine. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) shared a video on their social media pages of head coach Charlotte Edwards delivering the news to the teenager, who admits she was in complete disbelief. "It was a complete whirlwind," Corteen-Coleman told BBC Sport.
"It all happened so quickly, I was so emotional. There's always that glimmer of hope but honestly, not one part of me thought I'd be in that squad, it's so competitive. "I just went straight to my parents, ran in jumping up and down to tell them.
It's crazy, I can't really remember because of how quickly it all happened and how excited I was. " Corteen-Coleman, 18, in England T20 World Cup squad Corteen-Coleman's rise to England honours has been a rapid one. She speaks with an endearing giddiness about it, but the World Cup call-up is the latest accolade after she earned a £105,000 deal in The Hundred to stay with Southern Brave after a bidding war at March's auction.
She made her debut for Brave as a 16-year-old in 2024 and as maiden wickets go, the scalp of legendary former Australia captain Meg Lanning is a decent name. Edwards was Corteen-Coleman's Brave coach at the time, and the youngster feels her journey has come "full circle" as the former England captain also presented her with her first cap for Kent under-11s. Brave captain Georgia Adams is another who has had a front row seat for Corteen-Coleman's remarkable progression.
"Tilly is one of the most refreshing young cricketers I've ever worked with," said Adams. "She has got a really wonderful balance of just being a kid, in a lovely and sweet way, but also being really mature for her age. "So much has happened for her in the past two years but she is still the exact same Tilly as she was on her first day of training.