'Everything is going to plan': Sciver-Brunt confident of playing T20 WC
London, May 29
England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt has provided a positive injury update ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026, which is set to commence on June 12. The home team skipper is confident she will be fit for England's opening match against Sri Lanka at Birmingham.
Sciver-Brunt hasn't played at any level since she hurt her calf during a match for The Blaze in England's domestic 50-over competition at the end of April, and the skipper is racing the clock to be fit for the multi-team tournament.
The all-rounder is yet to begin bowling and is expected to miss the opening matches of the T20 World Cup. However, according to the 33-year-old, the recovery is on schedule. She also indicated that her comeback could happen in the opener against Sri Lanka.
"Now is the time to start pushing on. Everything is sort of going to plan as far as it can do at the moment. It's been really frustrating watching from the sidelines and not being able to help and feel like I'm missing out a little bit," Sciver-Brunt told the Stumped podcast.
The experienced player has already been ruled out of the India series; however, the star all-rounder may get the chance to prove her fitness in the warm-up fixtures for the T20 World Cup should team management decide.
"All of the plans that we've been putting together to get me back on track is ending with that first game in mind. We've got a couple of warm-up games beforehand to practise my skills in as well. It's going to plan thus far," she added.
Meanwhile, England missed their captain in the first T20I against India as the team was not able to chase a massive target of 189 and lost the match by 38 runs.
Sciver-Brunt has played 137 T20Is for England and scored 2960 runs, while also taking 90 wickets.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Sciver-Brunt is a class player, no doubt. But England missing her in the first T20I against us shows how dependent they are on one player. Our team depth is much better now - we have multiple match-winners. Let's see who performs under pressure in the WC.
As an England fan, I'm worried. Calf injuries can be tricky for fast bowlers. Hope she doesn't rush back and aggravate it. The warm-up matches will be crucial to test her fitness. Better to miss the first few games than lose her for the whole tournament.
It's great to see women's cricket getting so much attention globally. Sciver-Brunt has been a fantastic ambassador for the sport. Hope she recovers fully and we get to see a great contest between India and England in the World Cup! 🏏✨
"Everything is going to plan" - famous last words in cricket! 😄 But seriously, England looked shaky without her against India. Their middle order collapsed after that early wicket. If she's not 100%, they might struggle against stronger teams in the WC.
Respect to Nat for being transparent about her recovery. Many players hide their injuries. At 33, she's still world-class - those 90 wickets in T20Is show her all-round value. But I'd rather see her fully fit than risk a longer layoff. The WC is every 2 years, she has time.
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