England women's cricket captain Nat Sciver-Brunt has admitted the team has fallen short of expectations since their famous World Cup victory at Lord's in 2017. Speaking ahead of this summer's home T20 World Cup, Sciver-Brunt said the squad should have won more trophies over the past nine years.
Since that triumph, England have failed to secure a major limited-overs title or an Ashes series. Sciver-Brunt, a mainstay in the side, took over the captaincy last summer and led the team to a semi-final exit in the 50-over World Cup.
"Being in those teams, the feeling was we certainly could have won a bit more," she told BBC Sport. "There was a large change of personnel and youngsters coming in, which required senior players to accelerate their learning. We'd have liked to win a lot more, and we'd like that to change this summer."
Despite progress in domestic professionalisation and The Hundred, England have not won any of the four T20 World Cups, two 50-over World Cups, or five Ashes series since 2017. They also missed out on a medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Sciver-Brunt hopes a victory on home soil can inspire the next generation, drawing parallels with recent successes of England's women's football and rugby union teams. "A win could change what women's cricket looks like in this country," she said. "We didn't do it after 2017, but being a consistently good team is the goal. I'm hoping we can start with a T20 World Cup win."
England are set to name their squad for the tournament this week. Sciver-Brunt and former captain Heather Knight are likely to be the only players from the 2017 final XI included. The coaching staff, led by Charlotte Edwards, face decisions on whether to blood young talents like 19-year-old batter Davina Perrin or 18-year-old spinner Tilly Corteen-Coleman.