Which England players impressed during the winter T20 franchise season ahead of the World Cup?

It was an unofficial Finals Day on Sunday as the Big Bash League and SA20 culminated to mark the end of the congested franchise winter schedule, with attention now turning towards the upcoming T20 World Cup and Indian Premier League on the horizon.

In Australia, a sixth meeting in the final between the competition’s two most prominent franchises saw the Perth Scorchers ease past Steve Smith’s Sydney Sixers in front of a record 55,018 home support at the Optus Stadium.

Later that day, a vibrant Newlands crowd witnessed a final worthy of a competition that has successfully ignited cricket in the country as Sunrisers Eastern Cape defied a sublime Dewald Brevis century and the loss of early wickets to edge Pretoria Capitals in dramatic style and land their third title in four seasons.

Across all the winter T20 leagues, there were a staggering 65 English representatives, some of whom played for multiple teams, such is the chaotic world of franchise cricket.

But who shone the most and who struggled to make their desired impression?

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James Coles (Sunrisers Eastern Cape)

The SA20 proved to be a breakthrough moment for James Coles on the global stage as the Sussex all-rounder played some eye-catching cameos in the middle order during Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s title-winning campaign.

The 21-year-old scored 152 runs in five innings at an impressive strike rate of 170.78, whilst also chipping in with five wickets with his left-arm spin as the Orange Army cruised into a fourth final in a row.

Coles made a top score of 61 off 34 balls in just his second appearance against the Joburg Super Kings but it was in Qualifier 2 against Paarl Royals where the young Englishman led the way, with figures of 1-15 off his four overs and a brutal 19-ball 45 unbeaten in the run chase on a testing surface as Sunrisers booked their spot in the final.

With a First-Class average at a touch under 40, Coles has been an impressive performer for Sussex across all formats since making his debut aged just 16 and is set to be hot property in the upcoming Hundred auction – potentially targeted by the Sunrisers group at Headingley – whilst also having his sights set on a potential international call-up in the near future.

David Payne (Desert Vipers/Perth Scorchers)

From a new champion to a two-time champion in the space of a month, Gloucestershire’s David Payne was victorious at the Desert Vipers in the ILT20 and then helped Perth Scorchers secure the BBL crown for a record-extending sixth time.

The experienced left-arm swing bowler claimed 17 wickets in the UAE, including three in the final, as the Vipers won the tournament for the first time in their four-year history.

The 34-year-old returned to the Scorchers for the second half of their campaign – whom he won the competition with three years ago – upstaging a certain fellow left-armer Mitchell Starc to deliver a Player of the Match performance in the final with crucial breakthroughs in his 3-18 that restricted the Sixers’ progress, having also registered another economical 2-13 against the same opposition in the Qualifier previously.

The tall, crafty seamer has been a consistent performer in domestic cricket throughout his career – the joint-leading fast bowler in T20 Blast history and one of only four bowlers to surpass 200 wickets – and can find himself rather unlucky not to have more than just the solitary ODI appearance to his name in international white-ball cricket.

Sam Curran (Desert Vipers/Sydney Sixers)

Sam Curran also tasted success during the winter as he captained the Desert Vipers to glory and proved why he is once again establishing himself as one of England’s premier all-rounders in white-ball cricket.

Curran led the ILT20 scoring charts with 397 runs at an average of 49.62, including an unbeaten 74 to anchor the innings and set up a match-winning total in the final.

The 27-year-old’s maiden BBL stint was a brief one given his international commitments but he did have enough time to claim a three-fer in the Sydney Smash and provide a crucial half-century under pressure against Brisbane Heat in what was effectively a knockout end to the league stage. 

Other notable performers

• Jonny Bairstow (MI Emirates/Sunrisers Eastern Cape) – 506 runs, 147 SR, three half-centuries

• Tom Curran (Melbourne Stars) – 16 wickets, 17.50 average, 7.77 economy rate

• Max Holden (Desert Vipers) – 359 runs, 39.88 average, three half-centuries

No England players have come out with damaged reputations, but there are a few emerging talents who would have perhaps been hoping for more consistent displays on the global stage.

Rehan Ahmed (Hobart Hurricanes)

The young all-rounder is currently involved in England’s white-ball setup ahead of the T20 World Cup, but his preparation was perhaps not as productive as he would have hoped, with a disappointing first BBL experience with defending champions Hobart Hurricanes.

Floating between no.3 – which brought him much success domestically – and the lower order, Ahmed averaged just 12 in eight innings with a high score of 29 against Adelaide Strikers and only managed to take three wickets at an average of 56.33 with his leg-spin.

Jordan Cox (Dubai Capitals/Pretoria Capitals)

It has been a mixed bag this winter for one of England’s most exciting white-ball batters, who was a little unlucky not to find himself included in the World Cup squad.

The explosive batter amassed 321 runs at 35.66, representing the Dubai Capitals in the ILT20, before linking up with the Pretoria branch in the SA20 as an injury replacement but experienced an underwhelming run of form with four single-figure scores in five innings, despite his side going on to reach Sunday’s final.

Asa Tribe (Paarl Royals)

Admittedly, it is a little stiff to include the 21-year-old facing his first experience of franchise cricket after a meteoric rise in 2025, but the Glamorgan top-order batter suffered diminishing returns throughout his ever-present campaign with Paarl Royals in the SA20.

The Jersey-born prodigy made waves with a sublime half-century against a star-studded MI Cape Town bowling attack early in the competition, coinciding with England’s Ashes humiliation, which gave rise to calls around a potential fast-track to the international side this summer.

However, Tribe only went on to make a further 58 runs in his final six innings to end the competition with an average of 18.22 and strike rate at 120 – a reminder perhaps to temper expectations around an undoubted rising star, who will likely benefit from another year in domestic cricket before the England Lions batter makes the inevitable step up.

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