One of three contracted Northern Diamonds players with senior England experience, Linsey Smith has every chance of regaining that international place after 18 months away.
Left-arm spinner Smith has played nine T20s for England, including twice at the World T20 in the Caribbean in late 2018.
Despite claiming a creditable 13 wickets and striking in every appearance but one, the 25-year-old – she turns 26 in March – has fallen down the pecking order behind the likes of fellow left-armer Sophie Ecclestone and leggie Sarah Glenn.
However, after holding an England central contract in 2019, a second bite at a full-time deal – this time with the Diamonds – can progress her game and see her back starring on the main stage once more.
Smith, Hollie Armitage and Beth Langston were the first three players contracted by the Diamonds in late June (2020), signing a retainer deal.
The plan was for the eight Regional Women’s Development Centres to hand full-time contracts out earlier this year before Coronavirus delayed things, hence the need for small number of retainer deals once cricket was given the go ahead.
Those deals, along with the recruitment of Phoebe Graham and Jenny Gunn, were made full-time at the start of December.
