Women's T20 World Cup: England captain Sciver-Brunt eyes 'Euros moment'

Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt hopes her England team can create their own "Euros moment" at the home T20 World Cup this summer.

England have won all four World Cups they have hosted – one T20 version and three in the 50-over format – including in 2017.

Since then, women's sport in this country has ignited, thanks partly to the Red Roses winning the Rugby World Cup last year on home soil and the Lionesses similarly taking the European Championship at home in 2022 before retaining this summer in Switzerland.

Speaking at Edgbaston to mark 100 days until the opening day of the World Cup, Sciver-Brunt told BBC Sport: "To experience the things they experienced, winning their tournaments is just amazing.

"As a women's sport fan, putting myself in their shoes at that time was really special. To have the chance to do that this summer, it's almost unthinkable where you can go with it.

"Women's cricket can go wherever it wants to after this tournament. I'm hoping we get a Euros moment, almost."

The World Cup, expanded to 12 teams for the first time, begins on 12 June with he 33 matches taking place across seven venues, culminating in the final at Lord's on 5 July.

Just over 115,000 tickets have been sold already. Tournament organisers are aiming for a combined attendance of 270,000, more than double the previous best attended Women's T20 World Cup in Australia in 2020.

From the two semi-finals at The Oval, India know they will play in the tie taking place on 30 June if they qualify for the last four. The first semi-final has been scheduled to begin at 14:30 BST to suit the Indian TV audience.

This follows a recent pattern in global tournaments, particularly for men, when India's route through a competition has been predetermined. The arrangements raise questions over sporting integrity.

T20 World Cup tournament director Beth Barrett-Wild, said it was "always" a challenge to balance fairness with commercial opportunities.

"We're comfortable with that balance," said Barrett-Wild.

"Both of those semi-finals are at the same venue, so the same conditions for all teams. From a global game perspective, if India do reach the semi-finals, it gives us that reach for India to tune in and watch that fixture."

Barrett-Wild said the tournament will take a "watching brief" on any disruption that could be caused by the US-Israel war with Iran.

That conflict has already caused an England training camp in Abu Dhabi, due to begin this week, to be cancelled.

England have not played since losing in the semi-finals of the 50-over World Cup in October and the Abu Dhabi trip was due to be the third of three winter camps designed to inform selection for the summer.

"It's obviously a bit of a scary time in the world," said Sciver-Brunt. "As cricketers, we're quite flexible and adaptable. We are looking at alternate venues so we can get outside, and take part in some of that programme we were going to be doing."

England's light winter schedule has contributed to Lauren Filer's lack of competitive action – the pace bowler has not played since summer.

The 25-year-old said she has used the downtime to remodel her run-up in a bid avoid injuries and potentially add extra pace to her bowling.

Already one of the most fearsome bowlers in the women's game, Filer rates herself and Australian Tayla Vlaeminck as the two fastest in the world.

A speed of 80mph is seen as a benchmark for extreme pace in the women's game. Filer has only just begun to bowl off her full run, so is yet to learn if the new approach will have her at that speed on a regular basis.

"I would love someone to hit 80mph consistently," she said. "It would be such a great prospect for the women's game and I do think it can happen."

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