‘Good headaches to have’ – Charlotte Edwards delighted by England’s batting depth

England head coach Charlotte Edwards believes England’s batting selection dilemma could soon become a welcome problem, with Nat Sciver-Brunt expected to return from injury in time for the team’s opening match of the T20 World Cup.

England begin their campaign against Sri Lanka in Birmingham on June 12. Sciver-Brunt has not played international cricket since the ODI World Cup last October after sustaining a calf tear.

England are scheduled to play warm-up matches against Australia on June 8 and India on June 10 in Cardiff, and the team is hopeful that Sciver-Brunt will be available for both games. While she is expected to return to action before the tournament, she is likely to feature primarily as a batter during the World Cup.

“That makes tonight even more exciting, doesn’t it, that we’ve got Nat Sciver-Brunt adding to this lineup. I am very confident. She’s training this week and Saturday and doing her running and she’ll be playing hopefully in the first warm-up game next week. All good with her. I’m not sure she’s going to be bowling so it’ll be in a batting role for us, hence why we’ve been managing some workloads throughout this series. Freya Kemp didn’t bowl tonight, so it’s really positive going into next week,” said Edwards as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Edwards hailed England’s victory over India as the ideal preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup. In the match, England completed their joint second-highest successful run chase in T20 Internationals and their highest-ever chase on home soil. Despite being without Sciver-Brunt, England have secured 2-1 T20I series victories over both New Zealand and India, with several players excelling in unfamiliar batting positions.

Edwards particularly praised the flexibility of England’s top six batters, a group that includes Freya Kemp. Kemp played a key role in the series, scoring an unbeaten 39 and claiming 2 for 15 in the second T20I in Bristol, helping England level the series. The strong contributions from multiple players have strengthened competition for places in the batting order, giving Edwards plenty to think about as she finalises her plans for the World Cup over the coming days.

“They’re good headaches to have. We’re in a really good position in terms of people [being] in form so I’m going to be taking some time away – the players are going home for a few days – and then we’ll reset again on Saturday in Cardiff. I’m a big believer of your top six, they should be able to bat anywhere in the order, and the players are really showing that. We want versatility and flexibility within the order,” said Edwards.

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