Natalie Sciver-Brunt finds herself standing at the center of a transformative chapter in England women’s cricket. In the space of just a few weeks, she has been named the new national captain, embraced life as a first-time mother alongside wife Katherine Sciver-Brunt, and started a rigorous recovery from an Achilles injury.
As she prepares to lead England into a crucial summer, all eyes are on how she’ll balance the complexities of her evolving life with the demands of international leadership. England’s upcoming home series against the West Indies beginning May 21 marks her official start as full-time captain—though it will be in a slightly modified role, as her injury sidelines her bowling for now.
Speaking for the first time since her appointment, Sciver-Brunt opened up about the physical setbacks she’s been managing in recent years. Her battle with Achilles tendinopathy, she explained, has been ongoing. She committed to a six-week recovery plan, which included painful shockwave therapy, helping her recover enough to participate as a specialist batter in the early stages of the summer.
Introducing her status with the ball, she said, “For now I haven’t been bowling. Just from an Achilles perspective to build up my workload through playing, batting is important in terms of the next step up. So certainly, for the first part of the summer I’ll be playing as a batter.” She followed it up by affirming her ambition to remain a contributor with the ball, saying, “My intention is to keep bowling. I mean, bowling 10 overs every 50-over match probably isn’t something that is sustainable for me. But I’d like to have a good role with the ball as well.”
Reflecting on her injury and rehabilitation, she added, “It just came to a head and was very sore during the winter, so I was really glad to have a chance to have a good period of rehab so that I can go through the summer more pain-free, obviously with a big 50-over World Cup after the summer. I’m on track, which I’m really happy about.”
Simultaneously, Sciver-Brunt has stepped into motherhood, welcoming baby Theo with her wife. Parenthood, naturally, has brought immense change and emotion. As she returns to professional cricket, she’s also embracing her new normal—one that involves early mornings with Theo and long days of training and leadership.
Speaking candidly about life at home and the adjustment, she shared, “It’s been interesting, obviously doing everything I can to get back into cricket and whilst rehabbing my Achilles was important. Doing all of that and then being at home and there for Katherine and Theo has been tricky at times, but looking after a newborn is really rewarding.”
She also touched upon the gravity of the leadership opportunity, adding, “To be asked [to be captain] is a huge privilege and one that I didn’t want to turn down. Obviously, that doesn’t come without its challenges in terms of where I’m at in my life and the changes that have happened outside of cricket, to becoming a mum and getting used to all of that, so it will be a new thing to get used to, but hopefully something I can take in my stride.”
Sciver-Brunt inherits a side eager for redemption. England’s confidence was dented earlier this year when they suffered a 16-0 drubbing at the hands of Australia in the Women’s Ashes. As a leader, she recognizes the importance of guiding the team back to form and learning from past experiences.
Reflecting on her own stint as acting captain in previous series—including a loss to West Indies at the 2024 T20 World Cup, she noted, “We’ve had some great success when I’ve stepped in to captain but also lost a few games as well. Just learning from those experiences and working out the best way to help everybody on the pitch stay level and in the best place to perform well, that’s the biggest learning, how to help people get back to their normal, which we’ve done a lot of as a group over the last year or so.”
Explaining her collaborative approach to captaincy, she continued, “I’ll be having conversations with everybody just to work out the best way to work with them when we’re on the pitch and what they would need from me to help them do their best work.”
She then shared her broader vision for team culture and performance: “As a leader, I want to empower everyone to be the best version of themselves, as a group I want us all to work really hard for each other and the team and themselves, and also making smarter decisions, with learning about the game and different experiences and using what we’ve done really well in the past and just tweaking it a little. We’ve got a great chance with a new coach, a new captain to start fresh I suppose, and look forward as a group. We’ll look to tweak a few things and hopefully we can win a few more games.”
Adding another layer of complexity is the presence of Heather Knight in the dressing room. Knight, who led England for nearly a decade, remains a key member of the squad. Navigating that dynamic will require sensitivity and communication. Sciver-Brunt expressed her intention to lean on Knight’s experience, saying, “I’m going to be signing her up for a few coffees when we get on tour and getting into a few details of captaincy and how she found it.”
England’s leadership model has seen changes too. Unlike her predecessor, Sciver-Brunt won’t be a formal member of the selection panel. That group now includes new head coach Charlotte Edwards, national selector Lydia Greenway, managing director Clare Connor, and director Jonathan Finch. However, Sciver-Brunt will provide input in pre-selection meetings and have a say in choosing the playing XI. As of now, there is no confirmed vice-captain, and England is still finalizing the leadership structure to support her.
Sciver-Brunt’s journey to this point has been marked by consistency and excellence. Since her England debut in 2013, she has played 259 international matches across formats. Her Test average stands at an elite 46.47 with 881 runs, while she has scored 3,811 runs in ODIs at 45.91 and 2,789 runs in T20Is at 28.45. With the ball, she has collected 181 international wickets—79 in ODIs and 90 in T20Is—securing her place among the world’s premier allrounders.
Recognition has followed her brilliance. She won the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year award in both 2022 and 2023, the PCA Women’s Player of the Year award in 2017 and 2022 and earned selection in the ICC ODI and T20I Teams of the Year in 2023. Most recently, her historic performance in the 2025 Women’s Premier League saw her score 523 runs—the first player to cross the 500-run barrier in a single season—and she became the first in WPL history to surpass 1,000 career runs.
Now, she stands on the brink of a new era. England’s next assignments include three ODIs and three T20Is against West Indies. India will then visit for a full white-ball series, offering Sciver-Brunt a chance to stamp her mark in her first full home season as captain. Alongside Katherine and baby Theo, she is set to inspire a new generation—not just with her cricket, but with her resilience, leadership, and humanity.
