Nat Sciver opts not to reclaim vice-captaincy for West Indies tour

The allrounder hasn't played international cricket since leading England in the Commonwealth Games; she stepped away from the game in September to focus on her mental health and wellbeing

Nick Friend | 23/11/2022 at 15:00

Nat Sciver has chosen not to return to her vice-captaincy role for England Women's tour of West Indies.

The allrounder hasn't played international cricket since leading England in the Commonwealth Games. She then took part in The Hundred for Trent Rockets but pulled out of England's summer-ending series against India to focus on her mental health and wellbeing.

She is said to be excited about being back in the fold after being named in England's squad on Tuesday for the eight-match tour and is believed to be keen to take up leadership roles in the future as her comeback to international cricket takes shape. For the time being, though, she will feature just as a player in the ranks. A vice-captain for the series will be named in due course.

"Elite sport demands a lot and for the moment I'm not able to perform without compromising my own wellbeing," she said in September, "so I need to take some time away from cricket in order to focus on myself. It's the right decision for me and it's the right decision for the team."

At the time, Jonathan Finch, director of England Women's cricket, added: "We fully support Nat and her decision to step away from this series. Cricket is important, but it is wholly insignificant in the context of an individual's health and happiness.

"The welfare of our players and staff is always our number one priority and we will support Nat throughout this period."

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^{Sciver captained England during the Commonwealth Games (Alex Davidson/Getty Images)}

Sciver has been named in the ODI and T20I squads for Jon Lewis' first assignment as England head coach. Her workload and the extent of her responsibilities have long been areas for discussion, given her importance with both bat and ball across all formats.

When Heather Knight suffered a hip problem during the T20I series with South Africa ahead of the Commonwealth Games, Sciver was then pressed into captaincy as well, and she had been due to skipper against India until stepping away from the game.

Sciver, who took over the vice-captaincy from Anya Shrubsole in June 2021, was replaced at the helm against India by Amy Jones. Jones, though, was a reluctant captain and handing more permanent responsibility to the wicketkeeper would similarly be putting plenty on the plate of an important allrounder.

It will be interesting to see which way Lewis goes, with the opportunity at the start of his tenure to make Knight's deputy one of several youngsters in the squad, particularly with succession-planning high on his checklist and question-marks around who is most likely to eventually take over from Knight. Sophie Ecclestone would seem a likely option; the left-arm spinner was part of the leadership group under Jones and is a key member of the team in all three formats.