The searing heat of Malaysia could not be more in contrast with the wintry weather in England, but spinner Tilly Corteen-Coleman is loving her time in the sunshine at the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup.
Corteen-Coleman shone as England beat New Zealand by six wickets to seal their place in the semi-finals for a second consecutive tournament, finishing with remarkable figures of four for eight from her four overs in Sarawak.
It was an impressive display from the 17-year-old, who generated plenty of turn to dismiss the last four New Zealand batters, including three in the final over and the Player of the Match revealed she is enjoying pitting herself against both her opponents and the conditions as England look to go one better than their runners-up berth in 2023.
“I am absolutely loving it, playing cricket in a country where it is hot is actually really nice compared to cold England,” she said. “I am really enjoying it here.
“I am loving the pitches out here, they suit me very well. They offer quite a lot of turn and bounce, so I am hugely enjoying that.
“It is slightly unusual because going into The Hundred and during the season with Stars, we did a lot of scouting but the information pre-game on teams (at the World Cup) is quite minimal so it is very much about being adaptable and flexible in the moment.
“That’s really valuable for my development, not being told what to expect beforehand, it is really positive.
“I was absolutely delighted [to take four wickets], to be honest. It was obviously such a good moment for me to help the team get through to the semis.
“It is nice to get four wickets but it was a collective effort, I can’t take full credit for that.”
Corteen-Coleman’s work with the ball helped England restrict New Zealand to 89 from their 20 overs, with the Kiwis losing all 10 wickets for 40 runs following a strong start from openers Kate Irwin and Emma McLeod
England responded with a fast start of their own through openers Davina Perrin and Jemima Spence, who scored 21 and 29 respectively. Charlotte Stubbs’ unbeaten 17 saw England ultimately reach the required total in 11.4 overs to seal a crucial victory.
No results against Ireland and Nigeria due to rain meant the New Zealand match was pivotal for their progression to the last four, and Corteen-Coleman admitted there were fears the weather would blight them again when rain began to fall midway through New Zealand’s innings.
But the 17-year-old felt staying calm amidst the uncertainty allowed her side to go back out and finish the job at hand.
She said: “It is a huge moment for the team, getting that semi-final spot sealed. There were some weather concerns so it was quite a stressful match going into it, but the team performed really well under pressure with bat and ball.
“There was a bit of panic [after the rain delay] but we actually composed ourselves quite well and just prepared to stay in a good mindset and ready to go back out there.
“The group as a collective has been really good in supporting each other but our captain Abi (Norgrove) and our coaches have been at the forefront of those messages, supporting the girls the whole way.”
England will now train their sights on the semi-final, where they will look to once again make it to the showpiece on 2 February.
But Corteen-Coleman insisted there was no way her side would be thinking about anything but their last four encounter, with preparation the key to success.
“The goal is definitely to get through to the final but we will take each game as it comes,” she added.
“We will focus on the semis now to make sure we can perform our best cricket. We are not looking too far ahead.
“I would like to think there will be a bit more information but it is about sticking to what we have been doing, playing a positive game batting, bowling, and fielding and then just backing our skills.”
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