Jon Lewis recognises the importance of Nat Sciver-Brunt even as a specialist batter but the England head coach believes his side get maximum value from her as a true all-rounder.
A lingering knee problem has meant a reduced workload this summer, with Sciver-Brunt bowling just 44 overs in the drawn multi-format Women’s Ashes – although her 404 runs at an average of 57.71 saw her named England’s player of the series.
Rested for the shock T20 series loss against Sri Lanka, she returned exclusively as a batter for three ODIs and set a new benchmark for the fastest century by an Englishwoman in the format off 66 balls.
Speaking after England wrapped up a 2-0 series win as they prevailed by a thumping 161-run margin at Grace Road, Sciver-Brunt revealed her intention to get back to bowling on the winter tour of India.
That is music to the ears of Lewis, who took no risks with his star asset in this series, preferring instead to hand other seamers a chance and give Sciver-Brunt a longer shelf life as an all-rounder.
Lewis argued having the number one ranked batter and all-rounder in ODIs back in a dual role will allow England to potentially field three spinners at next year’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh and the 50-over equivalent in India in 2025.
“Nat’s a brilliant all-rounder,” Lewis said. “We’ve just made the decision to prioritise when she bowls, not only to give other people opportunity but to make sure that we have her as an all-rounder for as long as we possibly can.
“That’s really important for this team, the balance she brings for the team makes it much easier to put (an extra spinner) in the team. That’s fantastic, especially when we’re going to the subcontinent.
“The fact (Sciver-Brunt) can bowl seam in the powerplay and do a really good job with the new ball makes it easier for me to select three spinners in the side which is something I really want to do in those conditions.”
Sophia Dunkley, Danni Wyatt, Sophie Ecclestone and Lauren Bell were all missing for the last assignment of England’s summer schedule, with Heather Knight absent for the final match in Leicester as she was feeling unwell, leading to Sciver-Brunt standing in as captain.
In their absence, the speedy Lauren Filer and teenage left-armer Mahika Gaur have caught the eye while Maia Bouchier, another on the fringes, thumped 95 off 65 balls on Thursday.
Lewis, whose 10-month reign has seen a more attack-minded approach from England, has been encouraged by what he has witnessed – eager to expand the talent pool and create a number of selection dilemmas.
He said: “We’ve chosen different times to expose different players because it gives us a really great opportunity to see how they do at different moments, but also it’s more about the long-term planning.
“It’s making sure that we’re peaking at the right time for the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh and the 50-over World Cup in India the year after.
“When people take opportunities then it makes selection incredibly hard for the next time out, but that’s something for down the road.
“We know we’re a developing team and we’re on a journey to get to where we want to get to.
“The fun bit is everyone’s going for it and I hope the players feel that in our dressing room, it’s OK to make mistakes and so that then frees them up to try things that they might not ordinarily try.”
Salt century gives England winning start to West Indies T20 series
Phil Salt hit a superb century as England drew first blood in their T20 series against West Indies, with a commanding eight-wicket victory at the Kensington Oval.
Salt's unbeaten 103 off 54 balls was the highlight for the tourists, who successfully chased down their target of 183 with 19 balls to spare.
The West Indies endured a difficult start and were reduced to 18-3 and later 117-8, with Saqib Mahmood (4-34) and Adil Rashid (3-32) doing the damage.
However, the hosts managed 65 runs in the last 5.2 overs to finish at 182-8, with Gukadesh Motie knocking 33 off 14 balls along the way.
Salt kick-started England's chase with 50 off just 25 deliveries taking them to 73-1 after six overs, with Will Jacks (17) dismissed with the final ball of the powerplay.
Jos Buttler's first match after four months out lasted just three minutes, as the skipper was caught by Motie for a golden duck.
However, it proved a false dawn for West Indies, with Salt and Jacob Bethall (58 from 36 balls) safely steering England to victory.
Data Debrief: Salt completes hat-trick of hundreds as Bethell makes historic half-century
England put their disappointing ODI series behind them, making history with the highest T20 chase at the Kensington Oval.
Salt was the hero with his third T20I century, all of which have come against West Indies in the past 12 months.
Bethell also made history on Saturday. Aged 21 years and 17 days, he become the youngest England player to score a 50 in a T20I.
Asalanka leads Sri Lanka to ODI series win over West Indies
Sri Lanka wrapped up the ODI series against the West Indies with a five-wicket victory in Pallekele.
The hosts successfully chased down their opponents' total of 189, giving them an unassailable 2-0 in the three-match series.
Sri Lanka controlled the early powerplay - Asitha Fernando (3-35) and Maheesh Theekshana (3-25) took two wickets apiece to leave the tourists at 31-4 in the ninth over.
Wanindu Hasaranga (4-40) then claimed three of his four wickets as Roston Chase, Romario Shepherd, Hayden Walsh and Alzarri Joseph were all dismissed in the space of 14 balls.
However, Sherfane Rutherford (80 off 82 balls) and Gudakesh Motie (50 not out) steadied the ship to take the Windies from 58-8 to 189.
Although Joseph claimed Avishka Fernando (9) in the fourth over, Nishan Madushka and Sadeera Samarawickrama both chipped in with contributions of 38 to get the hosts to 112-4.
Skipper Charith Asalanka (62 not out) led the charge thereon, while Kamindu Mendis (11) comfortably got them over the line with 34 balls remaining.
Data Debrief: Rutherford-Motie historic stand proves academic for tourists
West Indies were looking to level the series, but their hopes were not aided by Sri Lanka's impressive bowling.
Rutherford and Motie did their best. Their partnership brought 119 runs, which is their nation's highest ninth-wicket stand in ODI history, breaking the previous record of 85 between Yannic Cariah and Alzarri Joseph.
However, it ultimately proved in vain as the hosts secured the series with a game to spare.
'I was a tired, grumpy old man' - Stokes apologised to England team-mates after Pakistan defeat
Ben Stokes says he apologised to his England team-mates after his frustrations were evident during the second-Test defeat by Pakistan.
The hosts levelled the three-Test series on Thursday after wrapping up a 152-run win in Multan.
However, it could have been a different story but for fielding errors at crucial stages for the visitors, Jamie Smith and Joe Root notably dropping catches to dismiss Salman Agha, whose subsequent knock of 63 helped Pakistan seal victory with a day to spare.
Stokes, who returned to action following a hamstring injury, could not hide his frustration during a difficult day for England, but insisted he would not let his emotions get the better of him again.
"No one means to drop catches, but it just proves how important catches are in these subcontinent conditions, they don't come along that often," he told Sky Sports.
"I actually apologised to the group last night. It's the first time in my captaincy that I've let my emotions and how I was feeling with the way the game was unfolding show in my body language.
"I owned up to that and was very annoyed at myself for letting that out. It's something that I don't want to do or be seen to be doing, so I apologised to the group about that.
"Poor old me, I was a tired, grumpy old man last night! You won't see that happen again."
However, England coach Brendon McCullum defended the actions of his skipper.
"We all know how passionate Ben is, how much it means for him to play for England," he said.
"We've seen that through his bloody-mindedness to get back from injury, which was significant, and to do so in a nine-week timeframe and to have his first TM [Test match] in extreme conditions, 40 degrees, and be able to give what he gave to the side.
"I think, maybe, that's where some of that frustration led to - certainly, it wasn't directed at any of the players. It was more about trying to assess the rhythm of the game, and to impact on it."
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