Women’s T20 World Cup: England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt hopes extra pressure gives hosts a boost

Nat Sciver-Brunt has urged England to embrace the multiple additional pressures they will face as Women’s T20 World Cup hosts over the next few weeks.

England have won every World Cup they have staged, most recently their 50-over triumph in 2017, but they have faced accusations of wilting when matches are on a knife edge in more recent tournaments.

Success for the Lionesses in football and the Red Roses in rugby in the past 12 months has propelled women’s sport in England into the mainstream like never before and Sciver-Brunt hopes her side can deliver too.

“There’s extra pressure from everywhere,” she said. “Being the host nation, my first home World Cup leading, the Lionesses and the Red Roses doing such a brilliant job in their tournaments in the last few years, the state of women’s cricket, the list goes on in terms of where you could add up the pressure.”

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Privilege

She continued: “I guess we’re sat here feeling that pressure is a privilege, we’re at a time in the world where women’s cricket is waiting for a platform to expand and explode.

“It just so happens we’re the 15 people (in the squad) who have the opportunity to do that at this time.

“We’re trying to stay composed despite the pressure, we’re trying to take each moment as it comes.

“There will be different times where it’s more difficult to not let the outside noise in, but we’re in a privileged position to be able to feel that.

“We’re really excited about what’s to come.”

No pressure to bowl

Sciver-Brunt was tight-lipped about England’s XI to face Sri Lanka in their opening match on Friday, with Amy Jones likely to be preferred to Sophia Dunkley and open alongside Danni Wyatt-Hodge.

The England captain confirmed she will be unable to fulfil her all-rounder brief and bowl at Edgbaston, having only returned from a calf tear in warm-ups against Australia and India this week.

However, ahead of her first competitive outing since April 29, she admitted England’s enviable array of seamers and spinners – with four bowlers in the top six of the ICC rankings – places less of an emphasis on her contributions with ball in hand.

“The plan is (for me) to be available for all of the games,” she said. “It would probably be silly of me to try and start bowling now but that might mean a bit later down the line.

“From a squad perspective there’s not really any pressure for me to bowl. It’s a luxury for me at this point.

“For my own peace of mind, I’d like to be able to bowl later on in the tournament but it might not mean I necessarily do.”

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