England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt is comfortable with her side going into the
Women’s World Cup as “outsiders” as they look to rebuild their reputation as trophy contenders.

Sciver-Brunt is one of only four survivors from the team that became world champions at Lord’s in 2017 and has witnessed a series of tournament disappointments in recent years.

Since finishing as beaten finalists in their 2022 title defence, they have struggled to make their mark on the global stage, exiting the T20 World Cup in the semi-finals and group stage at the last two editions.

But with Sciver-Brunt and head coach Charlotte Edwards still in the first six months at the helm, there has been a reset of sorts.

Warm-up wins over reigning champions Australia and co-hosts India has not seen England leapfrog the pair in the bookmakers’ reckoning but Sciver-Brunt is happy to fly under the radar.

“We were never going to be going in as favourites, that’s India and Australia, but not having that label will hopefully free us up,” she said.

“The expectation of being outsiders will spur us on, I guess, but internally we have certain expectations to put something out that we are proud of and compete against the very best teams.

“In terms of the last few world tournaments we’ve been disappointed not to get the results we wanted because we set standards as an England side. But having a new coach and new captain, hopefully that is a fresh start in terms of not dwelling on previous tournaments.

“We’ll be happy if we get our best cricket out there, because if we do that as a team we can compete with anyone out there.”

England begin their campaign against South Africa in Guwahati on Friday, an important chance to set the right tone but not a make-or-break curtain-raiser given the round-robin structure.

Heather Knight, Tammy Beaumont and Danni Wyatt-Hodge all lifted the trophy alongside Sciver-Brunt eight years ago and will remember that they began their road to glory with defeat to India in their opener.

“It does seem like quite a long time ago but I guess that’s where our experience will come in really handy,” Sciver-Brunt said.

“We lost our first game in 2017 and came full circle to beat the same team in the final. We can share that knowledge with the group. In these tournaments it’s not about how you start, it’s how you finish and if you peak at the right time.”

England

Best result: Winners (1973, 1993, 2009, 2017)
2022 result: Runners-up (lost to Australia in the final)

England squad: Nat Sciver-Brunt (captain), Em Arlott, Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones, Heather Knight, Emma Lamb, Linsey Smith, Danni Wyatt-Hodge.

Nothing less than reaching the semi-finals will be the expectation for Edwards’ side, even if it remains unclear what the best balance will be in subcontinental conditions.

England head to India and Sri Lanka with a quartet of spinners rather than a stronger balance of seamers, a decision which saw Kate Cross omitted from the 15.

That perhaps means captain Sciver-Brunt will play a larger role with the ball, in addition to her leadership and batting. Her return to bowling competitively should allow for more spin options to play.

With that in mind, slow left-armer Linsey Smith could prove a vital option supporting No 1-ranked ODI bowler Sophie Ecclestone and one of either off-spinner Charlie Dean or leg-spinner Sarah Glenn.

Watch every match from the Women’s World Cup live on Sky Sports from Tuesday September 30 with England’s opening match vs South Africa on Friday October 3.