England Women will face Scotland Women at Headingley on June 20 without their captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, who has a calf injury from the end of the match against Ireland in Southampton.
Due to this, Sciver-Brunt will miss the upcoming matches with Scotland and the West Indies. Charlie Dean will take over as captain. Dean previously led England to T20I series wins against New Zealand and India, achieving 2-1 victories in both series before the World Cup.
Sophie Ecclestone shared that Sciver-Brunt is feeling positive despite the injury. She also expressed trust in Dean’s captaincy, noting Dean’s growing experience and their similar leadership styles.
“It’s not ideal that she’s missing the next two games, but Deano is stepping up, and it’s exciting for her to lead during the World Cup. Charlie has captained recently, and it’s nice for her to be prepared. She has already led England in a few matches, so she’ll fit right in,” said Ecclestone, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
“It’s strange not to have Nat in a World Cup game, but Charlie has been fantastic. Everyone feels calm under her leadership, and it feels normal to have her as captain when Nat isn’t fit,” she added.
One player to watch is left-arm spinner Kirstie Gordon, who previously played for England in the 2018 Women’s T20 World Cup and has recently joined Scotland. Gordon stood out in Scotland’s game against West Indies Women, showing excellent control with the ball.
Rachel Slater expects Scotland, which qualified for the tournament through qualifiers, to play aggressively against England, similar to their approach against the West Indies.
“It comes from confidence, knowing we belong here and that if we play our best, a good ball is a good ball, no matter who is bowling. We want to treat every game the same and focus on the basics to perform well in pressure situations during the match,” Slater stated.
“Our approach won’t change. We’ll stick to our fundamentals, aiming to maintain our performance in high-pressure moments to get the win,” she added.