Player Profile
Emma Lamb enjoyed a summer from the gods in 2025, culminating in helping Lancashire win two trophies and breaking back into the England team.
A glut of runs came her way, as did a handful of personal awards, both from her county and nationally.
The headline was that she helped the Red Rose win the Vitality T20 County Cup and the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, though she didn’t play in the semi-final or final of the latter because she was with England preparing for an October 50-over World Cup.
In all cricket for Lancashire, including friendlies, she racked up 1,330 runs from 26 matches, including 12 fifties and two hundreds. She averaged 60.45 and added 18 wickets with her off-spin and took seven catches.
No batter in the country got close to matching her runs tally.
Lamb was named the PCA’s women’s player-of-the-year and picked up the same award from Lancashire, who also named her their One-Day Cup player-of-the-year.
Isolating that competition, she totalled 794 runs from 12 appearances, with the two aforementioned hundreds coming in wins over The Blaze at Trent Bridge (130 not out) and against Essex at Sedbergh (142).
She was 162 runs better off than nearest challenger Kathryn Bryce of The Blaze.
The 142 was a career best across all senior cricket.
Lamb formed a formidable opening partnership with one of her closest mates, Eve Jones. At the start of the season, especially, it’s no exaggeration to say they were unstoppable.
You could also make a very strong argument to suggest Lamb was Lancashire Thunder’s standout performer across the five seasons of regional cricket from 2020-2024.
Others contributed, no doubt, but Lamb’s consistency with bat, ball and in the field was mightily impressive.
In all cricket for Thunder, she scored 2,066 runs from 57 matches, including 13 fifties, four hundreds and a best of 134 not out.
Lamb graduated through to play for England, contributing to limited availability through the 2023 campaign when she still hit five fifties in 14 appearances across both formats.
The Prestonian all-rounder is the younger sister of ex-Lancashire men’s player Danny.
Not only does the 28-year-old open the batting and bowls her off-spin, but she is also a super fielder.
Lamb’s spike in development in recent years shows that the move to professionalise domestic cricket in this country - from 2020 onwards - is working wonders.
Lamb has played for England’s senior team across all three formats of international cricket, firstly in T20 cricket in September 2021.
She played in a commanding win over New Zealand at Chelmsford, with her only contribution walking to the crease and not facing a ball as England posted 184-4 batting first.
The following February, she debuted in an Ashes ODI against Australia at Melbourne before going on to play once in the 50-over World Cup which followed immediately in New Zealand.
In the 2022 summer - June to be precise - she made her Test bow as England drew with South Africa at Taunton. She hit 38 opening the batting in the first innings.
Her main contributions for England have came in ODI cricket, her scoring one century and four fifties in 26 matches to date added to three wickets.
The right-hander scored a sensational 102 off 97 balls opening the batting in a victory over South Africa at Northampton in July 2022.
Lamb can be both classical and destructive with the bat in hand.
In all cricket for Thunder in 2021, including friendlies, she hit 600 runs in 12 matches, with three hundreds, and took 15 wickets.
She scored her hundreds in both the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and Charlotte Edwards Cup, the latter - 111 not out - coming in a T20 victory over Sunrisers at Emirates Old Trafford. She also took 3-16 from four overs in a resounding win.
Earlier in the season, she had dominated a T20 win over Northern Diamonds at Headingley, hitting 58 and taking 4-13 added to a catch and a run out.
Lamb has also played for the Emirates Old Trafford based Manchester Originals in the Hundred. In 2025, however, she represented Birmingham Phoenix.
In 2015, she made history by becoming the first woman to play in the Cheshire County League - for Bramhall. Danny played in the same team.
Emma was amongst the first group of regional contracted players for Thunder in 2020 before earning her maiden England central contract in late 2022.
Lamb, who also played junior county Badminton, joined the Lancashire pathway at 10 and made her senior debut in 2012 at the tender age of 14.
She was an integral part of the Red Rose senior side which won the one-day and T20 county double in 2017. She scored 333 runs and took 13 wickets across the two competitions.
Lamb also played as Lancashire won their regional, non-professional T20 county title at the start of 2022.
Unfortunately, she encountered challenges in late 2023 and early 2024, having to undergo back surgery. She was pulled out of England’s squad for a December Test Match in India and returned home for treatment.
She underwent rehab at Emirates Old Trafford before travelling to New Zealand on an England A tour through March.
She returned to Thunder colours and scored 584 runs across the RHFT and CEC. She was the side’s leading run-scorer in the latter competition with 228 in nine matches.
Lamb also featured for England in their late-summer tour of Ireland, and her 2025 form meant she was involved at the 50-over World Cup in Sri Lanka and India as well.
Ahead of the 2026 summer, she’s sat on 289 all-format senior career appearances. In that time, she has totalled 7,951 runs added to 142 wickets.