Nat Sciver-brunt ruled out of six England T20Is before World Cup
Nat Sciver-brunt will miss England’s T20I series against New Zealand and India after her calf injury required a longer rehabilitation period than first thought. England now goes into six matches before the home T20 World Cup without its captain and the player who usually gives the side its balance.
England lose Sciver-Brunt
Her absence stretches across the T20I leg of the New Zealand series and the full India series. England’s first T20I for 10 months comes on May 20, and the squad for this run more or less mirrors the one picked for the World Cup next month, so the gap at the top of the order and in the field is not a temporary one.
Sciver-Brunt had already been ruled out of the New Zealand ODIs with the calf injury. That leaves England without its on-field captain for the short-format build-up that was meant to sharpen the group before the tournament at home.
Charlotte Edwards' selection problem
Charlotte Edwards still has options, but they are not clean ones. Dani Gibson and Freya Kemp are seam-bowling all-rounders who can help cover Sciver-Brunt’s role, and England are likely to want both in the same side.
That creates a squeeze elsewhere. England also want to fit three spinners into the attack, and Charlie Dean is likely to slot into their best XI as well. Issy Wong will be available for the first T20I against New Zealand after missing the ODI series because of hamstring discomfort, while Alice Capsey missed the first game of the summer through illness.
England's balance without Sciver-Brunt
The complication is familiar. Last summer, Sciver-Brunt missed time injured and did not bowl at all in the lead-up to the 50-over World Cup, and this latest setback again leaves England without its most reliable all-round option when the calendar tightens.
England also selected three left-arm spinners in its T20 World Cup squad, with Linsey Smith described as a slower option than Sophie Ecclestone and Tilly Corteen-Coleman bowling a lot in the powerplay for Surrey. That leaves Edwards balancing seam depth, spin variety and one major absence before the first ball of the home campaign.
