Sciver-Brunt on course for batting role at World Cup after calf injury
Nat Sciver-Brunt Hopes to Play Crucial Role in England’s Home T20 World Cup
Nat Sciver-Brunt is Sciver-Brunt on course for batting role at World Cup after calf injury, and she hopes to play a crucial role in England’s home T20 World Cup, which kicks off on June 12 against Sri Lanka at Edgbaston.
Overcoming Injury
A calf injury suffered while playing in the domestic One-Day Cup on April 29 ruled Sciver-Brunt out of the whole of England’s competitive build-up to the tournament. However, she is on track to play as a batter in warm-up games against Australia on June 8 and India on June 10.
Sciver-Brunt is also expected to play in a batting role for the start of the World Cup, but hasn’t given up on bowling later in the tournament if required. “There’s no sort of pressure to be an allrounder at this stage,” Sciver-Brunt told ESPNcricinfo. “We’ve got a very balanced bowling attack that is covering a lot of bases, so there’s not any pressure for me to bowl in the tournament.”
England’s Preparations
Sciver-Brunt’s readiness will come as a relief to England, for on-field reasons as well as off. England’s batters have stepped up, chiefly Alice Capsey, who made half-centuries as a stand-in opener against New Zealand as well as a match-winning No. 4 in the last match with India to stake her claim in the starting line-up.
Opener Danni Wyatt-Hodge is still settling in after a period of parental leave, while fellow opener Sophia Dunkley is hunting a big score. England’s other top-order option, Amy Jones, scored a half-century at No. 3 against India in the first game.
Confidence and Validation
Sciver-Brunt has had plenty of time to think about what it would mean for a side which has underperformed on the big stage in recent times to lift the World Cup trophy in the final at Lord’s on July 5.
“What would it mean? That all of the hard work and everything that we’ve done in preparation was worth it, that we are the confident and successful team that we are,” she said. “We show snippets of what we can be, but in a tournament [we] never quite get over the line in the close games. We have moments, but I guess it would be validation that we are a brilliant cricket team.”
Sciver-Brunt is confident that she will be ready for the tournament, and her presence will undoubtedly be a boost to the England team. With her batting skills and potential bowling options, Sciver-Brunt is set to play a crucial role in England’s home T20 World Cup.
