Sciver-Brunt ‘given the reins’ to lead her way – Edwards

After Heather Knight’s nine-year tenure in charge, New England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, according to head coach Charlotte Edwards, will “have the reins” to take the lead of the team in her own way.

Sciver-Brunt, an all-rounder who took maternity leave, was appointed England’s full-time coach on Tuesday and will make her comeback to training the following week.

Sciver-Brunt previously served as Knight’s vice-captain, but Edwards added that as the team transitions from a difficult year that culminated with a 16-0 Ashes thrashing in January, she is happy to be starting with a “blank canvas.”

At a launch event held at Lord’s for the ICC T20 World Cup, which will be held in England in 2026, former England captain Edwards said, “She is very laid back and unassuming for one of the best players in the world.”

We’ll be working very closely together, but she’ll have the power to take the lead by example on matchdays and take the lead.

Because she’s on her team and has to push things forward, “I’ll be asking her for her opinion on pretty much everything.”

The first game between Edwards and Sciver-Brunt will be a white-ball match between England and West Indies, which will start on May 21 and is followed by a match between India, which will host the 50-over World Cup at the end of September.

Sciver-Brunt has previously led England in 11 T20s and one one-day internationals, with nine of those victories coming in as wins, but the team struggled when she replaced Knight in two notable high-pressure situations, including the Commonwealth Games bronze medal match and West Indies’ disastrous T20 World Cup group stage defeat last year.

Given her importance as England’s best batter and one of their most experienced bowlers, Sciver-Brunt’s workload had sussed some concerns, but Edwards said she was confident she could relieve some of the strain and let her concentrate on the on-field issues.

Given the longevity of Knight’s tenure, there has been another criticism of England’s set-up, and Edwards vowed to fix it.

We are going to establish a leadership group, which may vary depending on the format and series, but it’s something we are really interested in.

“We need to make sure we are making sure we are planning for the future and giving players experience and voice.”

Knight’s representative, Edwards, also confirmed that she would not be a member of that leadership group, stating that she wanted the former skipper to concentrate on playing the game once more and refraining from just batting.

In a world without precedent, England’s Ashes capitulation brought off-field behavior and attitude into question, along with the subpar outcomes.

Although Edwards acknowledged that the social media strategy and “looking at our professional behaviors” would change, she added that she had already observed changes in her short time in the position.

There will be no right or wrong in it, even though it should be different and it should be. She said, “That’s how Nat and I are going to do it.”

The team has a certain way of doing things, but they have been great so far and open to everything we’ve discussed.