ENG-W vs SA-W | One-off Test Preview| Spotlight: Natalie Sciver

Whether batting or bowling, she leaves no stone unturned when it comes to making her presence felt on the field. Since making her international debut against Pakistan in 2013, the all-rounder has taken a long journey to be recognized among the world’s best. On home soil, the prolific English all-rounder significantly guided England to the 50-over World Cup title in 2017. 

You guessed it right! We are talking about none other than England’s star all-rounder, Natalie Sciver. The 29-year-old has 4,774 international runs to her name and has also managed to pick up 58 wickets. Spending the early years of her life in Poland and the Netherlands, Natalie Sciver engaged in various sports such as Basketball and Football. However, she eventually started playing Cricket as a teenager and soon converted it into her full-time profession.

Natalia Sciver has scaled incredible heights in the early part of her career, and given that she is still just in her late 20s, she has a long career ahead. The all-rounder was the first English bowler to take a T20I hat-trick, which came against New Zealand in the World Cup semi-finals in 2013. 

In 2018, Sciver was on the Wisden Cricketers of the Year list, which included five players. This came after her contribution to guiding England to World Cup glory in 2017. However, out of all the three formats, the all-rounder has impressed the most in ODI Cricket, where she averages more than 40 with the bat. 

The biggest moment of her career came in 2017 when she was a part of the English winning World Cup squad. She bolstered 369 runs in nine innings at an average of 46.12. Moreover, she was the only English batter to cross the score of 50 in the final against India. Natalie Sciver continued her exploits in the 2022 World Cup, where she registered two hundred. 

The middle-order batter played one of the most memorable ODI innings of all time when she scored an unbeaten knock of 148 runs in the final against Australia. 

Natalie Sciver has been named in the England squad for the one-off Test match against South Africa. The fixture will be played at Taunton, and this will be the first time in 18 years that both sides will lock horns in the red-ball format.

Match Details:

Match: England vs South Africa, 1st Test

Venue: The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton

Date & Time: June 27-June 30, 3:30 PM IST

Live Streaming: FanCode and ECB website.

Pitch Report: The pitch should be good for batting conditions, with the ball coming onto the bat pretty nicely. However, fast bowlers should expect to benefit from the overcast conditions during the first hour of play. 

Squads:

England Women: Heather Knight (C), Alice Davidson Richards, Sophia Dunkley, Natalie Sciver, Tammy Beaumont, Amy Jones, Emma Lamb, Emily Arlott, Lauren Bell, Kate Cross, Freya Davies, Charlotte Dean, Sophie Ecclestone

South Africa Women: Andrie Steyn, Laura Wolvaardt, Anne Bosch, Nadine de Klerk, Lara Goodall, Sune Luus (C), Marizanne Kapp, Chloe Tyron, Trisha Chetty, Sinalo Jafta, Lizelle Lee, Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune