Cliff Notes – Nat Sciver-Brunt named England Women captain
- Nat Sciver-Brunt has been appointed as the new captain of the England Women’s cricket team, succeeding Heather Knight after a disappointing Ashes series.
- Sciver-Brunt, who is currently on maternity leave, has an impressive international record with 259 appearances and a win-loss record of 9-3 in her previous captaincy.
Nat Sciver-Brunt named England Women captain
Valkerie Baynes
Nat Sciver-Brunt has been named as the new England Women’s captain.
Sciver-Brunt was deputy to Heather Knight, who lost the job after nine years in the aftermath of a woeful Ashes campaign in Australia, where England lost the multi-format series 16-0.
New mum Sciver-Brunt, whose wife – the former England seamer Katherine – gave birth to a son named Theodore in March, remains on maternity leave and will assume the role ahead of upcoming home series against West Indies and India.
She has represented her country 259 times across formats since making her debut in 2013, averaging 46.47 in Tests, 45.91 in ODIs and 28.45 in T20Is, whilst also taking 181 international wickets. She has captained England in Knight’s absence previously.
The most recent occasion was at the T20 World Cup in October when Knight left the field with a calf injury sustained while running between the wickets and Sciver-Brunt had to step in mid-match. England ended up losing the group-stage game against West Indies after a disastrous fielding performance and were knocked out of the tournament as a result.
But Sciver-Brunt has a 9-3 win-loss record in the 12 matches she has captained for England – 11 T20Is, including at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, and one ODI.
She was England’s second-highest run-scorer after Knight and third overall behind Australia’s Beth Mooney during the 2024-25 Ashes.
Sciver-Brunt was also the leading run-scorer at the recent edition of the WPL with 523 runs, well ahead of next-best Ellyse Perry on 372, although Sciver-Brunt played two more games, including the final, won by her Mumbai Indians team.
She will be reunited with Charlotte Edwards, her former England captain and more recently coach at Mumbai who relinquished that role after leading the team to two WPL titles in three years to become England Women’s head coach.
Edwards was appointed earlier this month, replacing Jon Lewis, who also lost his job following the Ashes whitewash.
“I’m really proud to take on the role of captain of the England Women’s team and it’s an honour to have been asked by Charlotte, someone I’ve always looked up to,” Sciver-Brunt said. “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, whilst 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. It’s hugely exciting to be working with Charlotte having had the pleasure of working with her in the last three years at Mumbai Indians. Her love of cricket and passion for the England Women’s team is inspiring and I’m excited to see where this partnership leads us.”
Sciver-Brunt was the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year for 2022 and 2023. She was also named PCA Women’s Player of the Year in 2017 and 2022 and been a part of the ICC Women’s ODI and T20 Teams of the Year in 2023.
Clare Connor, managing director of England Women, said: “We are delighted to have appointed Nat as England Women’s captain and I know she’s excited about the honour of leading the team during an unprecedented chapter in international women’s cricket.
“Everyone knows what a fantastic cricketer Nat is, but her qualities extend far beyond her skills on the pitch. She’s thoughtful, resilient and driven by getting the best out of herself and everyone around her. Nat is immensely well-respected in the group and I know she will form an exciting and fruitful partnership with Charlotte.”