Nat Sciver-Brunt struck a fluent 67 from 48 balls as England eased to a six-wicket win over India in Mumbai on Wednesday, their final warm-up before the Women’s T20 World Cup opens on Friday. The England captain’s first half-century in six innings arrived with the tournament 48 hours away, and on a Wankhede surface offering early grip, it was the innings her team had been waiting for.
Chasing 158, England were 41-2 inside the powerplay when Sciver-Brunt walked in with the asking rate climbing. She added 89 with Heather Knight, who finished unbeaten on 44, and saw the chase home with seven balls to spare. Sophia Dunkley contributed 28, while Deepti Sharma was the pick of India’s attack with 2-24.
Captain’s runs end a lean run
Sciver-Brunt arrived in India having passed 30 only once in her previous five T20 innings, a sequence stretching back to the multi-format series in Australia in February. Her dismissal for 11 in the opening warm-up against New Zealand last Saturday had prompted a longer net session the following morning, with batting coach Jon Lewis throwing throwdowns for close to an hour.
The signs of rhythm returning came early. A pulled six off Renuka Singh in the fourth over carried into the second tier of the Sachin Tendulkar Stand, and a reverse-swept boundary off Sneh Rana in the 11th was the kind of stroke Sciver-Brunt plays only when she trusts her hands. She brought up her fifty from 36 balls with a flicked single off Pooja Vastrakar, raising her bat briefly towards the England balcony before settling back into her stance.
“It’s nice to spend some time out there,” Sciver-Brunt said afterwards. “Warm-ups can feel a bit false because nothing’s on the line, but a chase on this surface against this attack is as close as you’ll get to the real thing before Friday.”
England head coach Lewis was more direct. “Nat hasn’t needed fixing. She’s needed overs. Tonight she got them, and the way she got them tells you everything.”
Mixed signals from the bowling unit
India’s 157-7 was built around Smriti Mandhana’s 54 from 39 balls and a late cameo from Richa Ghosh, who hit 22 from 11. England’s seamers were expensive in the powerplay — Lauren Bell conceded 32 from her first three overs — before Sophie Ecclestone steadied the innings with 2-21 from her four.
The questions left for selectors are familiar ones. Issy Wong was preferred to Mahika Gaur and went for 38 from three, including 17 in the 17th over. Charlie Dean took 1-26 but was hit for two sixes in her final over by Ghosh. With group fixtures against West Indies, Pakistan, Scotland and Bangladesh to negotiate, the death-bowling balance remains England’s clearest selection question heading into matchday one.
Knight, asked afterwards about the seam options, said the management would “sleep on it” before naming an XI for Friday’s opener against West Indies in Pune. Wong and Bell are competing for what is effectively one spot alongside Kate Cross.
Setting the tone for a difficult group
England arrive at this World Cup having not lifted the trophy since 2009, when Claire Taylor’s side beat New Zealand in the final at Lord’s. Three semi-final exits and a final defeat to Australia in 2018 have followed, and Knight’s side were knocked out in the group stage at the 2024 edition in the UAE after a defeat to West Indies — the same opponent waiting on Friday.
The bookmakers have England as third favourites behind Australia and the host nation. India, beaten in the 2020 final at the MCG, have not lost a home T20 to England since 2019, which makes Wednesday’s result a useful psychological marker even with the result officially carrying no status.
- England’s group fixtures: West Indies (Pune, Friday), Pakistan (Mumbai, June 14), Scotland (Bengaluru, June 17), Bangladesh (Pune, June 20)
- Sciver-Brunt’s last five T20 scores before Wednesday: 11, 8, 34, 19, 22
- England’s recent World Cup record: Group stage exit (2024), semi-final (2023), final (2018, lost), semi-final (2020)
Sciver-Brunt’s form has historically dictated England’s ceiling at major tournaments. She averaged 58 across England’s run to the 2017 50-over World Cup title and was the team’s leading scorer at the last T20 World Cup before her quarter-final dismissal triggered the collapse against West Indies. Knight’s side will hope Wednesday’s innings is the start of a similar run. The evidence, on a slow Wankhede pitch against a bowling attack ranked second in the world, suggests it might be.
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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