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Nat Sciver-Brunt is set to embark on her tenure as the full-time captain of the England women’s cricket team, determined to steer the side back to winning ways after a challenging period. Her appointment follows a significant reshuffle in England’s leadership, which saw Heather Knight step down as captain after nine years and head coach Jon Lewis also depart in the wake of a disappointing Ashes series earlier this year.
The all-rounder takes the reins across all formats, with former England captain and legend Charlotte Edwards assuming the role of head coach. This new leadership duo faces the immediate task of revitalising a squad that experienced a comprehensive 7-0 aggregate defeat in the Ashes Down Under, failing to secure a single victory across the Test, One-Day International and T20 International matches. Australia dominated the series, clinching both the T20Is and ODIs by a 3-0 margin and securing an emphatic innings victory in the sole Test match.
Nat Sciver-Brunt era begins: New England captain targets improvement and World Cup success
Speaking to Sky Sports Cricket ahead of her first assignments – home series against West Indies and India – Sciver-Brunt outlined her vision for the team under her captaincy. “I think well for me, the way I want to go about things is to empower people to be the best version of themselves,” she stated. “I want to try and create some smarter decisions for everybody and help them learn and grow towards that. Taking things we’ve done in the past, tweaking them a little bit and using those things.”
Sciver-Brunt acknowledged the need to move on from the dispiriting Ashes performance. “Obviously, no one likes going through a series where you don’t win a game and for it to be obviously such a high profile one like the Ashes,” she commented. “I mean, people in our team really want to move on from that.”
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While the focus is on immediate improvement and securing victories, the new skipper also has her sights set on future global showpieces. England has two significant World Cups on the horizon: the Women’s ODI World Cup in the subcontinent later this year, and a home T20 World Cup next summer. Sciver-Brunt expressed confidence in her team’s potential on the world stage. “I think any side will say they want to win a World Cup, yeah. Anyone you ask within the England side or squad, of course we want to be winning world tournaments,” she affirmed. “With two coming up in the next 12 months or so, we have got some great opportunities to show what we can do on the world stage.”
The immediate test for Sciver-Brunt and Edwards will be the upcoming white-ball series at home. England are scheduled to play three T20Is and three ODIs against West Indies, with the series commencing on May 21. Following this, they will host India for five T20Is and three ODIs, starting from June 28.
Looking ahead to these initial encounters, Sciver-Brunt highlighted the competitive nature of their opponents and the excitement of playing in front of home crowds. “Two very competitive sides are coming over to play and yeah, I guess a great chance for us to be back in front of English crowds and to show everybody the love and care we have for the game,” she concluded.
Also READ: ICC Women’s ODI rankings – Australia hold strong at summit while India sit at the third spot
This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.
