Nat Sciver-Brunt: New England captain seeking to ‘transfer ahead’ as she embraces captaincy alongside motherhood | Cricket Information

Newly-appointed England Ladies captain Nat Sciver-Brunt is able to quash the health criticisms that plagued England’s disastrous defeat in The Ashes and look ahead as she balances her new function alongside motherhood.

Sciver-Brunt’s appointment as skipper on the finish of April got here on the again of adjustments following the whitewash 16-0 loss to Australia, Charlotte Edwards changing Jon Lewis as head coach and Heather Knight stepping down after 9 years as captain.

Throughout the Ashes tour there was a fair proportion of drama centred round questions relating to England’s health ranges, spinner Sophie Ecclestone refusing to be interviewed by former team-mate and now media pundit Alex Hartley after the latter questioned England’s health within the wake of the T20 World Cup exit months earlier.

Sciver-Brunt captained her nation for the primary time in worldwide cricket for the third IT20 match in opposition to New Zealand in 2021 and in addition took cost for the Commonwealth Video games in 2022.

She has additionally already had a profitable participant and coach relationship with Edwards, with whom she is but to choose a vice-captain, serving to Mumbai Indians to glory within the the Ladies’s Indian Premier League in 2023 and 2025.

Now, as she will get into the swing of her captaincy, she desires to quash these lingering health criticisms and “transfer ahead” to point out “everyone their love for the sport” with an ODI World Cup simply across the nook.

Certainly, Sciver-Brunt expects to be match to guide England for the primary time in her new function within the series-opening T20 in opposition to West Indies subsequent Wednesday, however she has had no direct involvement in squad choice.

“We work on health as a lot as we do our strengths and abilities. To know that we’re engaged on it ought to hopefully be sufficient to squash these criticisms. We’re a hard-working facet,” Sciver-Brunt mentioned.

“I wish to empower everybody to be the most effective model of themselves. I would like us all to work actually laborious for one another and the group, and in addition make smarter choices and be taught from completely different experiences.

“It’s actually good to be taught and to maneuver ahead.

“Clearly no person likes going by a collection the place you do not win a sport and for it to be such a high-profile one like The Ashes.

“Individuals in our group will actually wish to transfer on from that and do issues in a approach that may assist reverse a number of the issues individuals will likely be pondering from a fan perspective.

“Actually, we wish to be trying ahead and dealing laborious and displaying everyone our love and look after the sport and for our group.”

Whereas England’s former captain Knight left her function after a close to nine-year tenure following the Ladies’s Ashes collection defeat, Sciver-Brunt is grateful for the management that Knight has proven, taking their facet from empty fields to packed-out stadiums on the worldwide stage.

“9 years is a very long time [as captain] and she or he [Heather Knight] has taken us from hardly anybody watching to filling out stadiums,” she added.

“That change is an enormous one when you’re taking part in in entrance of these individuals and what meaning from a media perspective is that there’s masses extra eyeballs on you.

“Every thing you do could be scrutinised so she has had an enormous job taking our group from that time.

“From now, we actually wish to look ahead and take a look at the issues we wish to tweak barely in a different way to place in some good performances.”

Balancing cricket and motherhood is an pleasing problem

Final yr, Sciver-Brunt revealed on the Underneath the Lid podcast – co-hosted by spouse and former England worldwide Katherine – that she missed England’s first IT20 match in opposition to Pakistan to endure egg-freezing remedy.

The pair welcomed their son, Theodore Michael Sciver-Brunt, in March this yr with the England captain saying she is grateful to her spouse for serving to her by the problem of parenthood whereas additionally returning to cricket, her captaincy being introduced whereas she was off on maternity depart.

“Theo is wholesome and comfortable so we’re actually proud of that and getting used to the sleep patterns,” Sciver-Brunt added.

“We’re actually having fun with that a part of our lives.

“Coming again into all issues cricket with a new child was a problem and it nonetheless is a problem.

“Getting every part I have to do carried out after which taking Theo for a bit in order that Katherine can do one thing for herself means the day has grow to be fairly lengthy.

“However that’s what I wanted to do on the time and Katherine has actually been superb in that she has taken on lots of taking care of Theo to ensure that me to have the ability to try this.

“At this second in time, I’m actually grateful for that and for her.”

England Ladies’s summer season fixtures

All occasions UK and Eire; all video games reside on Sky Sports activities

T20 worldwide collection vs West Indies (Could)

• First T20: Wednesday Could 21 (6.30pm) – Canterbury
• Second T20: Friday Could 23 (6.35pm) – Hove
• Third T20: Monday Could 26 (2.30pm) – Chelmsford

One-day worldwide collection vs West Indies (Could-June)

• First ODI: Friday Could 30 (1pm) – Derby
• Second ODI: Wednesday June 4 (1pm) – Leicester
• Third ODI: Saturday June 7 (11am) – Taunton

T20 worldwide collection vs India (June-July)

• First T20: Saturday June 28 (2.30pm) – Trent Bridge
• Second T20: Tuesday July 1 (6.30pm) – Bristol
• Third T20: Friday July 4 (6.35pm) – The Kia Oval
• Fourth T20: Wednesday July 9 (6.30pm) – Emirates Previous Trafford
• Fifth T20: Saturday July 12 (6.35pm) – Edgbaston

One-day worldwide collection vs India (July)

• First ODI: Wednesday July 16 (1pm) – Southampton
• Second ODI: Saturday July 19 (11am) – Lord’s
• Third ODI: Tuesday July 22 (1pm) – Chester-le-Avenue

Watch each England Ladies’s cricket match this summer season reside on Sky Sports activities, beginning with the T20 collection in opposition to West Indies from Could 21. Get Sky Sports activities or stream with no contract on NOW.