Nat Sciver pulls out of India series citing mental health reasons

Nat Sciver, who was appointed England’s stand-in skipper in the absence of regular captain Heather Knight, for the upcoming India series has withdrawn from both the T20Is and ODIs so as to focus on her mental health and wellbeing. India’s tour of England, which comprises of three T20Is and as many ODIs, is set to begin on September 10, Saturday.

Sciver has played a lot of cricket recently, just like her better half Katherine Brunt. The two were a part of England’s multi-format series against South Africa before getting into the Commonwealth Games campaign. After Englandended their CWG 2022 campaign, Brunt and Sciver were next seen at the Hundred Hundred Women’s 2022 representing Trent Rockets.

“I’ve played a lot of cricket over the last nine months and I am very emotionally fatigued. Elite sport demands a lot and for the moment I’m not able to perform without compromising my own wellbeing, 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,” Sciver was quoted by ECB.

Sciver led the Rockets at The Hundred but left the captaincy mid-way to focus on her game which helped her. She earned praises from cricketers and experts from all around the globe for her knock in the Eliminator game against Southern Brave. Since Heather Knight has been out of the setup owing to a back injury, Sciver has been managing the captaincy.

She also led the side at the CWG 2022 where England finished fourth. On the other hand, the decision to rest Brunt was taken mutually keeping in mind her workload. But now, with even Sciver opting out of the upcoming series, the English team has gotten into major trouble. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), on Thursday, named Amy Jones as the captain for the T20I series and the board is yet to announce the ODI squad.

As for the upcoming series, the English players are expected to be in good touch as they have all had a great time at the recently concluded second season of The Hundred. On the other hand, India defeated England at the CWG 2022 to make way into the finals before losing the ultimate clash against Australia to bag the silver medal. With both teams having plenty of in-form players, the contest will be worth watching.