England have appointed all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt as their new captain.
Sciver-Brunt, 32, replaces Heather Knight who spent nine years in the role.
She becomes just the fourth permanent England women’s captain since 2000.
Knight was sacked in March as a result of a review into the humiliating 16-0 Ashes defeat earlier in the year.
Head coach Jon Lewis was also removed from his position and has been replaced by legendary former captain Charlotte Edwards.
“I’m really proud to take on the role of captain and it’s an honour to have been asked by Charlotte, someone I’ve always looked up to,” said Sciver-Brunt.
“Ever since I made my England debut back in 2013, all I have wanted to do is help the team in every way that I can. I will try my best to lead this team to success, while empowering them to be the best version of themselves.
“We have a really talented group, and we have a group that’s united. It’s a team I believe in and a team that can have a lot of success together.”
Sciver-Brunt was the most likely candidate to take over, having been Knight’s vice-captain, and is one of England’s most experienced all-format cricketers.
During the Ashes, she had stated her desire to fulfil the role when Knight’s future remained uncertain, and has previously led England in 11 T20s and once in one-day internationals, with nine of those being wins.
But Sciver-Brunt’s appointment also felt inevitable considering England’s lack of other leadership options, having failed to implement a proper succession plan despite the considerable length of Knight’s tenure.
Spinners Charlie Dean, 24, and Sophie Ecclestone, 25, were other potential candidates but are lacking in captaincy experience.
England’s home summer consists of white-ball series against West Indies and India, starting in May, while Sciver-Brunt’s first major assignment will be the 50-over World Cup, which takes place in India in September.
While Sciver-Brunt’s record when stepping in as captain is positive, two of the three defeats have come in highly pressurised situations, again highlighting England’s lack of structure without Knight.
England failed to win a medal at the Commonwealth Games in 2022 when Knight missed the tournament with a hip injury, and the team’s fielding imploded against West Indies during the T20 World Cup in 2024, where they went out at the group stage.
But Sciver-Brunt could benefit from the opportunity to lead in her own style rather than simply stepping into Knight’s shoes for a brief time, while the partnership with Edwards is likely to be a significant boost.
The pair have worked together for Mumbai Indians in the Women’s Premier League, where they won the title for the second time last month.
Sciver-Brunt played a starring role as the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 523 runs in 10 innings at an average of 65.37, and also took 12 wickets.
But there will be concerns around her workload when taking on the captaincy, as England’s most important batter and one of their most experienced bowlers.
Sciver-Brunt also recently welcomed her first child, a boy named Theodore, with her wife and former England seamer Katherine.
For all the talk of Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, or even an outsider like Grace Scrivens taking on the England captaincy, it would have been a shock had anyone other than Nat Sciver-Brunt been given the job.
The all-rounder was the previous vice-captain, England’s best player and said she wanted the job. When added to her existing relationship with head coach Charlotte Edwards, who herself said she wanted a three-format regular in charge, there was only one candidate.
There will be concerns about adding extra responsibility to such a vital player, but there were similar worries when Ben Stokes was made men’s captain, and that has proved a masterstroke.
Perhaps a greater worry is how well leadership will sit with Sciver-Brunt, who took a break from cricket in 2022 to focus on her mental health after standing in as captain for the Commonwealth Games.
This is where Edwards will come in. It seems likely that the new coach will do a lot of heavy lifting in terms of leadership, tactics and team culture, while Sciver-Brunt will set the example on the field. Their personalities should complement each other nicely.
If the appointment of Sciver-Brunt held little mystery, then the squad for the series against West Indies next month should provide more intrigue, especially with England due to appoint a national selector for the first time.
Edwards, so knowledgeable when it comes to the domestic game here and abroad, will have her own ideas, while those close to the England team have privately spoken about the need for personnel change.–BBC
