Sciver-Brunt must put England back in business

Nat Sciver-Brunt has the chance to paint a 'back in business' sign on the England Women's team HQ, as opposed to occasionally flipping the hastily scribbled 'back soon' note with which she has had to work in her previous appearances as captain.

By all accounts, Sciver-Brunt's transition to the role as full-time skipper, announced on Tuesday, will be as subtle and straightforward as that.

Sciver-Brunt seemed the predictable if not clear-cut choice after Heather Knight's nine-year tenure came to an end as part of England's post-Ashes-failure reset, even if no one really seemed to covet the role as Knight's successor.

Both are built in a similar leadership mould, vastly experienced and the best players in the team. Neither would be remotely near the loudest person at a big gathering, yet the calm control underpinning their game is a prized quality at the highest level.

But Sciver-Brunt must succeed where Knight has failed since the 2017 World Cup to win major trophies - including Ashes series, which England last won in 2014 under the captaincy of Charlotte Edwards, who is now the new England Women's head coach.

The reunion of Edwards and Sciver-Brunt, who worked together when Mumbai Indians secured their second WPL title in three years in March, faces the task of turning around a squad which has seen their fitness questioned after struggling dismally to match Australia's athleticism during the Ashes and faced cultural issues amid that humbling 16-points-to-nil defeat and the group-stage exit at the T20 World Cup which preceded it.

In some ways, it's harsh to judge Sciver-Brunt on previous stints as stand-in captain, given the temporary and contingency nature of those appearances. But, this is international sport and that's all there is to judge, especially as she has served as Knight's deputy for the past three years for precisely that reason: that she may be called upon to lead.

Most recently, Sciver-Brunt had to step in mid-match at the T20 World Cup in Dubai when Knight injured her calf muscle while running between the wickets against West Indies. A shocking performance from England in the field ensued, with then-coach Jon Lewis even coming out during a drinks break, trying in vain to restore some composure before his team lost and were knocked out of the tournament as a result.

Further back, Sciver-Brunt captained England at their home Commonwealth Games in 2022 after Knight suffered a serious hip injury in the lead-up. England won three of their five matches but crucially lost their semi-final to India and the bronze-medal playoff against New Zealand. While Sciver-Brunt played a stablising role with the bat in both those defeats, tempers frayed elsewhere, with wife Katherine reprimanded and handed a demerit point for using an audible obscenity when she had a catch dropped off her bowling in the India game. Sophie Ecclestone then hit the back of a chair in frustration after her dismissal against New Zealand.

Nat Sciver-Brunt pulled out of the home series against India which followed, citing the need to focus on her mental health and wellbeing. Amy Jones took over in the interim and, after Knight and Sciver-Brunt returned, joined them as part of the team's leadership group along with Ecclestone.

Jones's self-confessed discomfort in taking the role, and Ecclestone's spat with former team-mate turned commentator Alex Hartley during the Ashes only added to Sciver-Brunt's status as Knight's most likely successor, not to mention the fact that Sciver-Brunt has been England's star for some time.

Named ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year for 2022 and 2023, Sciver-Brunt currently sits third in the ICC's world ODI batting rankings. She has represented her country 259 times across formats, averaging 46.47 in Tests, 45.91 in ODIs and 28.45 in IT20s, whilst also taking 181 international wickets.

She was England's second-highest run-scorer after Knight and third overall behind Australia's Beth Mooney during the 2024-25 Ashes and ended as the leading run-scorer at this year's WPL with 523 runs, becoming the competition's first player to reach 1,000 runs.

Her appointment - rather than England opting for one of the more left-field suggestions in budding allrounder Charlie Dean or uncapped former Under-19 skipper Grace Scrivens - has echoes of Australia's approach to captaincy, choosing the best player as leader and watching success grow from there. But her leadership on some key issues off the field are well worth noting too, in their own right and for their potential to galvanise her confidence when she needs to be centre of attention.

By joining a powerful contingent of high-profile players leading by example in prioritising their mental health - team-mate Kate Cross, New Zealand ODI captain Sophie Devine, former Australia captain Meg Lanning and Pakistan great Nida Dar have all put their wellbeing before the game at various times in their careers - she has added her voice to theirs in normalising discussion around mental health in elite sport.

Sciver-Brunt also opened up about missing the start of England's home series against Pakistan last May to recover after having her eggs frozen as she and Katherine planned to start a family. And, when Nat was named as the new England captain, she was on maternity leave - Katherine gave birth to their son, Theodore, in March - joining a growing number of players combining motherhood with an athletic career.

World-beater, advocate, wife and mother, Sciver-Brunt keeps extending her allrounder role. Now she just has to throw captain into the mix.