'Not Ideal' - Sophie Ecclestone gets candid about Nat Sciver‑Brunt’s absence as England take on Scotland

England’s premier spinner Sophie Ecclestone has admitted that it is “not ideal” to have skipper Nat Sciver‑Brunt miss the next couple of T20 World Cup matches, but expressed confidence in Charlie Dean’s leadership to guide the side through the challenge.

Sciver‑Brunt began the tournament with a fluent 22-ball 46*. She was in fine form against Ireland too, scoring a match-winning 37‑ball 48 in England’s four‑wicket win. However, she was forced to retire out after feeling stiffness in her calf. Subsequent scans revealed a strain, ruling her out of England’s next two fixtures against Scotland and West Indies.

Ecclestone, though, is confident in Dean’s readiness for the role, noting that she had already captained England in the lead‑up to the tournament.

“Not ideal that she's [Nat Sciver-Brunt] missing the next two games, but Deano's [Charlie Dean] going to take charge, and it's obviously a really exciting place to be back in charge and captain at the World Cup,” Ecclestone was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. “Charlie's obviously captained recently. It's been really cool to play with her for a bit, and it's quite nice for her to not come in blindsided now. She's been captain for a few games of England now, so it'd just be like a duck to water again, I reckon.

"It's pretty weird not to have Nat in a World Cup game, but Charlie's been amazing... she's been such a great captain, everyone feels so calm under Charlie, and I feel like we've actually not even spoken about it recently. It's just the norm that if Nat's not fit, then Charlie's captain, and that's fine.”

England are at the top of the points table in Group 2 with four points and an impressive net run rate (NRR) of 2.763. They will now look to Dean’s calm presence and tactical nous to steady the team in Sciver‑Brunt’s absence as they aim to make it three wins in as many matches.