By: Express News ServiceSeptember 25, 2025 06:57 PM IST 5 min readNat Sciver-Brunt of England celebrates the wicket Smriti Mandhana of India during the first international T20 match between India Women and England Women held at the Wankhede Cricket Stadium, Mumbai on the 6th December 2023. (Sportzpics)As the winners and finalists of the last two editions, it’s hard not to count Nat Sciver-Brunt’s England as one of the contenders for the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 in India and Sri Lanka. They have the history, they have the star quality, and they have one of the best domestic setups in place.How is England’s form coming into the World Cup?But recent form hasn’t been encouraging. In the last 12 months, England have won six and lost six of the 12 ODIs they have played. They have lost a three-match series against Australia (as part of the multi-format Ashes series) and more recently, were largely second best at home against Harmanpreet Kaur’s India, losing the home series 1-2. In April 2025, the ECB appointed Nat Sciver-Brunt as the new captain, as they ushered in a new era with coach Charlotte Edwards. Former captain Heather Knight is still a part of the squad though, and her return for the World Cup lends solidity to the batting unit.What does captain Nat Sciver-Brunt have to say?“I’ve had a taste of the job with the West Indies and India series this summer, and it was really enjoyable to work alongside Lottie and to begin to shape how we want our team to play. There are a number of important things for us as we set about building our team for this competition and for next summer’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup on home soil but ultimately it comes back to winning. That’s our job, that’s our focus,” Sciver-Brunt wrote in her column for ICC.“We made the final last time out in New Zealand, in a tournament that was still affected by COVID-19, and obviously back in 2017 we lifted the trophy, so our recent record gives us something to be excited about,” the all-rounder added. “I believe we’ve got a good mix of players who’ve been there and done it before and players for whom this is all very new and exciting. There’s a huge amount of talent in this group and we’ve got a coach who knows exactly what it takes to win a World Cup. The job now is to put that all together on the pitch, to win the big moments and to step up when the pressure’s on to take us as far as we can possibly go.”Who will be England’s star player?World No 1 bowler Sophie Ecclestone is bound to have an impact on the World Cup with her metronomic and world-class left-arm spin, especially in subcontinental conditions. But it’s hard to look beyond captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, one of the foremost all-rounders in the game. Her sensational 148 off 121 balls in the last World Cup final kept England’s hope of a miracle win alive. While Sciver-Brunt hasn’t bowled recently, she is expected to return with the ball in hand during the tournament. But it is her form with bat that would be critical for England’s chances, armed with her experience of piling on the runs for Mumbai Indians in the WPL.Why England could be contenders?As the world No 2 in women’s ODIs and T20Is, despite recent iffy form, England come into the tournament as one of the sureshot contenders to topple Australia. Sciver-Brunt will have to shoulder a majority of the batting responsibility and is capable of having a mega tournament, given her ability to accumulate a high volume of runs with minimal risk. In potentially spin-friendly conditions, England have match-winners in Ecclestone and leg-spinner Sarah Glenn, while the likes of Lindsey Smith, Alice Capsey and Charlie Dean lend bowling depth. It’s a well-rounded squad with matchwinners throughout, and mentored by one of the greatest ever in Charlotte Edwards, who also knows a thing or two about winning in India with Mumbai Indians in the WPL.What’s England’s complete squad?Nat Sciver-Brunt (c), 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.Story continues below this adWhat are England’s fixtures?October 3: vs South Africa, GuwahatiOctober 7: vs Bangladesh, GuwahatiOctober 11: vs Sri Lanka, ColomboOctober 15: vs Pakistan, ColomboOctober 19: vs India, IndoreOctober 22: vs Australia, IndoreOctober 26: vs New Zealand, VizagHow have England fared in past editions?England are the only other team apart from Australia to win multiple ODI World Cup titles, having triumphed four times: (1973, 1993, 2009, 2017)1973: Winners1978: Runners-up1982: Runners-up1988: Runners-up1993: Winners1997: Semifinal2000: 5th2005: Semifinal2009: Winners2013: Third2017: Winners2022: Runners-upStay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. 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