From Lancashire Star to England’s Award-Winning All-Rounder: Emma Lamb’s Cricket Journey
Emma Lamb is an English cricketer from Fulwood, Preston, Lancashire. Born on 16 December 1997, she is a right-handed opening batter and a batting all-rounder who bowls right-arm off-spin. She is 28 years old and represents Lancashire Women in domestic cricket and Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred.
Her cricketing style combines careful stroke play with powerful attacking shots. She can build an innings patiently before increasing the scoring rate. Her bowling is mainly used as a useful supporting option, while her fielding is also considered one of her strengths.
The Lancashire player is known by the nickname “Lamby”. She wears shirt number six and stands 5 ft 9 in tall. Her younger brother, Danny Lamb, is also a professional cricketer. She studied Sport and Exercise Science at Edge Hill University and graduated in 2019. Away from the ground, she uses the verified Instagram account @emma_lamb67.
Emma Lamb’s Early Cricket Journey
Emma Lamb joined the Lancashire pathway when she was only ten years old. Alongside cricket, she played junior county badminton, showing her sporting ability from a young age. Her progress through Lancashire’s age-group system was rapid, and she made her senior debut in 2012 at the age of 14.
She scored her first senior century at 15, an achievement that highlighted her natural ability with the bat. In 2015, she played for Bramhall in the Cheshire County League alongside her brother Danny. This was a significant moment because women’s participation in men’s county cricket was still uncommon.
Her early performances earned recognition from the England pathway. She was involved in England development groups during 2016 and became part of the England Women’s Senior Academy in 2017.
First Domestic Honours
The 2017 season brought major success with Lancashire. The team won both the county one-day competition and the T20 title. Lamb contributed 333 runs and 13 wickets across the two competitions.
She later represented Lancashire Thunder in the Kia Super League. In 2018, she produced an excellent bowling performance against Southern Vipers, taking four wickets for 17 runs. Her current Kia Super League record includes 21 wickets in 30 matches.
Breakthrough Seasons for Emma Lamb
The professional growth of women’s cricket in England gave Lamb more opportunities to train and play at a higher level. In 2020, she became part of the first group of regional contracted players in the North West structure.
Her breakthrough came in 2021. She scored 121 in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and made history in the Charlotte Edwards Cup by recording the competition’s first century. Her unbeaten 111 came from just 61 balls against Sunrisers. She also took three wickets for 16 runs in the same match.
Earlier in that season, she scored 58 and took four wickets for 13 runs against Northern Diamonds. These performances showed her ability to influence matches with both bat and ball.
Emma Lamb also played for Manchester Originals in The Hundred. She made her England T20I debut against New Zealand in September 2021. She came to the crease during England’s innings but did not face a delivery.
England Career and International Milestones
Emma Lamb made her ODI debut against Australia in the 2022 Women’s Ashes at Melbourne. She later played once at the 2022 Women’s Cricket World Cup in New Zealand. In June 2022, she made her Test debut against South Africa at Taunton. She scored 38 in England’s first innings, showing that her technique could also suit the longer format.
Her most memorable international performance came in July 2022 against South Africa at Northampton. Opening the batting, she scored 102 from 97 balls. The innings included confident shots through the off side and helped England secure an important victory. She received her first England central contract in November 2022. During England’s 2023 campaign, she made five half-centuries in 14 appearances across the two main formats.
Emma Lamb’s International Numbers
Her current international record includes two Test matches, 29 ODIs and one T20I. She has scored 76 Test runs, 618 ODI runs and remains unbeaten on 0 in T20I cricket. Her ODI record includes one century, four fifties and three wickets. Her figures show that she has made her greatest international impact in ODI cricket. Although her bowling has been used less often by England, she has taken many more wickets in domestic List A and T20 matches.
Back Injury and Strong Comeback
Late in 2023, Emma Lamb suffered a serious lower-back injury. She withdrew from England’s Test series in India and underwent surgery in January 2024. Her recovery involved rehabilitation with the ECB and Thunder medical teams. She also travelled with England A to New Zealand, which helped her return to competitive cricket. After coming back to domestic cricket, she scored 584 runs across the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and Charlotte Edwards Cup in 2024. She was Thunder’s leading run-scorer in the Charlotte Edwards Cup, making 228 runs in nine matches.
A Record-Breaking 2025 Season
The 2025 season was the finest domestic campaign of her career. For Lancashire, she scored 1,330 runs in 26 matches, including friendlies. She made 12 fifties and two centuries, averaged 60.45 and took 18 wickets with her off-spin. She helped Lancashire win both the Vitality T20 County Cup and the Metro Bank One-Day Cup. In the One-Day Cup alone, she scored 794 runs in 12 appearances at an average of 72.18.
Her two centuries came against The Blaze and Essex. She scored 130 not out at Trent Bridge before making 142 at Sedbergh. The second innings became her highest senior score. She finished 162 runs ahead of the next batter in the competition, Kathryn Bryce.
National Recognition
Her outstanding performances earned the 2025 Toyota PCA Women’s Player of the Year award. She became the first winner of the award during the Tier 1 era. She was also chosen as the opening batter in the PCA Women’s Team of the Year.
Her England return came during the ODI series against West Indies, where she scored a half-century in the second match. Against India in July, she made 68 from 81 balls and shared a 162-run partnership with Nat Sciver-Brunt.
Emma Lamb also moved from Manchester Originals to Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred. In Phoenix’s final match of 2025, she scored an unbeaten 56 from 42 balls.
World Cup Challenge
Emma Lamb was selected for England’s 2025 Women’s Cricket World Cup squad. The tournament proved difficult for her personally. Her five scores were 1, 13, 4, 11 and 7, giving her an average of 7.20. She was left out of England’s final group match against New Zealand, with Danni Wyatt-Hodge taking her place. England reached the semi-final but lost to South Africa. Despite the disappointing tournament, her selection reflected the strength of her domestic season and her importance to England’s wider ODI plans.
Current Position in 2026
In May 2026, Emma Lamb was included in England’s ODI squad against New Zealand. She scored 15 in the first match and 7 in the rain-shortened third game. She was not selected for England’s 2026 T20 World Cup squad. She was included in the squad for the historic women’s Test at Lord’s against India, but did not make the playing eleven. She served as a substitute fielder during the match.
Emma Lamb was also left out of England’s ODI squad for the September 2026 series against Ireland. This means her international place remains competitive, although her domestic form continues to keep her in consideration. For Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred, she scored 36 from 26 balls against London Spirit in August 2026. Shortly afterwards, she made 68 and took two wickets for 20 runs against Hampshire for Lancashire.
Career Figures and Playing Style
Her current senior domestic record includes 4,479 List A runs and 61 wickets. In T20 cricket, she has scored 4,000 runs and taken 90 wickets. In The Hundred, she has made 694 runs and taken five wickets. Her greatest qualities are her opening-batting technique, patience, strong off-side play and ability to accelerate quickly. She is also a reliable fielder and a useful spin option. With a PCA award, major Lancashire honours and a return to England’s ODI plans, Lamb remains one of Lancashire’s most important players and one of England’s experienced batting options.
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