Freya Kemp says she never considered giving up bowling, even after a run of back injuries that kept her out of competitive action for long stretches and forced England to manage her return carefully. The 19-year-old has been picked in England's squad for the summer T20 World Cup, but she will not bowl in the 50-over series against New Zealand that begins on Sunday.

Kemp made her England debut aged 17 and had already suffered two back stress fractures by the time she was 19. One of those injuries kept her from bowling competitively for 14 months, and she later suffered another stress reaction in the same area. She has not bowled in an official match since January 2025, and her last international appearance came during the 2025 Ashes whitewash.

Speaking to Sport, Kemp said it has been a difficult stretch but one she believes is coming to an end. “It has been a long few years but I am hopefully nearly out of the other side,” she said. On the lessons of repeated setbacks, she added: “It is horrible. It teaches you a lot about yourself and how to overcome hard stuff, and definitely teaches you a lot of resilience.”

That resilience has been on display in how England have rebuilt her workload. Kemp has been bowling in practice since January and worked closely with fast-bowling coach Chris Liddle. She bowled in three of the five intra-squad matches England held in South Africa in March, a sign that the side is again seeing her as more than just a specialist batter.

The plan, for now, is gradual. Kemp will not bowl against New Zealand in the three-match one-day international series, but she is expected to bowl against the White Ferns and then India in the T20s that follow. The timing matters because the T20 World Cup begins on 12 June, leaving England with a short runway to get her fully ready.

Kemp has not been treated as a one-dimensional player during the comeback. She was carded at number nine on her international debut, but she has since developed as a top-order option as well. Last year she made her first professional century, and last winter she played a full season with Perth Scorchers as a batter. She said that progress has not changed her view of her main craft. “I just really enjoy having an impact on the game as much as I can,” she said. “I love bowling. I don't think I would ever give that up.”

That balance is part of why she remains in England's plans. Charlotte Edwards namechecked Kemp earlier this year when discussing the need for bowling all-rounders for the World Cup, and England have not had a left-hander consistently in their top order since Lydia Greenway retired in 2016. Kemp, a left-hander, said she believes the work with the bat has sharpened her game. “I definitely have [improved as a batter],” she said.

The bigger question now is not whether Kemp can add value as a batter — she already has — but how quickly England can restore her as a genuine bowling option before a World Cup that begins in less than a month. For a player whose career has already been bent by injury, the next few weeks may decide whether her return is complete or still a work in progress.