The eight women’s regional team captains have unanimously predicted that Nat Sciver-Brunt will continue her stunning form and be crowned England Women’s PCA MVP during a landmark summer for the women’s game.
A highly-anticipated women’s season begins this weekend, with the start of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, as Northern Diamonds seek to retain the title they won last September.
To help preview the summer, the ECB surveyed the eight women’s regional team captains to get their predictions on which teams can lift silverware over the next five months and which players to look out for.
All eight skippers believe Nat Sciver-Brunt will win the England Women’s PCA MVP award, while three believe the England all-rounder’s move to The Blaze can help the newly-badged Trent Bridge-based outfit win the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for the first time.
Sciver-Brunt enjoyed a golden winter, highlighted by playing the match-winning innings to help Mumbai Indians win the first-ever Women’s Premier League, after she was also named captain of the Team of the Tournament at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa.
Another player to enjoy a stand-out winter, England Women’s Under-19s captain Grace Scrivens also earned plenty of plaudits from the team leaders as their choice as England’s most exciting young player under 23, and the player most likely to win the PCA Women’s Domestic MVP Award.
Scrivens led England to the final of the first-ever ICC Women’s Under-19s T20 World Cup, when her prowess with bat and ball was on full display – most memorably when the teen held her nerve to claim the last Australian wicket in the thrilling semi-final win as England defended 99 by just three runs.
The eight captains were each asked 11 questions to offer their predictions for the summer, which included forecasting a double Ashes winning summer for England.
The Blaze were also locked into equal favouritism for the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy – alongside two-time winners Southern Vipers – with three votes each.
With a large chunk of the competition, including the final, to be staged around the England Women’s internationals, fans will get an early opportunity to see their heroes in action starting with Sunday’s fixtures.
Western Storm’s Sophie Luff was the only player to get multiple captains votes to be the 50-over competition’s leading runscorer, with her team-mate Lauren Filer and Central Sparks’ Emily Arlott the two players favoured to be the leading wicket-takers.
South East Stars earned four captains votes to retain their Charlotte Edwards Cup title, ahead of Southern Vipers (two votes). The Charlotte Edwards Cup begins on May 18 and will feature 20 double headers with the men’s Vitality Blast, before Finals Day is staged at New Road on Saturday, June 10.
Lauren Winfield-Hill has been backed to follow-up her outstanding form from last summer with three captains predicting she will top the Charlotte Edwards Cup run-scoring charts. Two captains also picked the 104-times England-capped opener to win the PCA’s Domestic Women’s MVP.
Two players who have moved over the summer, Sarah Glenn and Linsey Smith, both received two captains votes to be the Charlotte Edwards Cup’s leading wicket-taker.
- Which team – not including your own – do you think will win the Charlotte Edwards Cup?
- 4 – South East Stars; 2 – Southern Vipers; 1 – Northern Diamonds, The Blaze
- Which team – not including your own – do you think will win the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy?
- 3 – Southern Vipers, The Blaze; 1 – Northern Diamonds, South East Stars
- Which player(s) – not from your team – will be the leading run-scorer in the CEC?
- 3 – Lauren Winfield-Hill (Northern Diamonds); 1 – Sophia Dunkley (SE Stars), Marie Kelly (The Blaze), Nat Sciver-Brunt (The Blaze), Grace Scrivens (Sunrisers), Bryony Smith (SE Stars), Danni Wyatt (Southern Vipers)
- Which player(s) – not from your team – will be the leading run-scorer in the RHFT?
- 3 – Sophie Luff (Western Storm); 1 – Hollie Armitage (Northern Diamonds), Eve Jones (Central Sparks), Grace Scrivens (Sunrisers), Ellie Threlkeld (Thunder), Lauren Winfield-Hill (Northern Diamonds)
- Which player(s) – not from your team – will be the leading wicket-taker in the CEC?
- 2 – Sarah Glenn (The Blaze), Linsey Smith (Southern Vipers); 1 – Kate Cross (Thunder), Charlie Dean (Southern Brave), Tara Norris (Thunder), Issy Wong (Central Sparks)
- Which player(s) – not from your team – will be the leading wicket-taker in the RHFT?
- 2 – Lauren Filer (Western Storm), Emily Arlott (Central Sparks); 1 – Charlie Dean (Southern Vipers), Tash Farrant (SE Stars), Katie Levick (Northern Diamonds), Tara Norris (Thunder), Linsey Smith (Southern Vipers)
- Who is the most exciting young England-qualified player – not from your team, and aged 23 or under – to watch out for this summer in the women’s regional game?
- 6 – Grace Scrivens (Sunrisers); 1 – Liberty Heap (Thunder), Ryana McDonald-Gay (SE Stars)
- Which England cricketer do you think will end the summer as England Women’s PCA MVP?
- 8 – Nat Sciver-Brunt
- Which domestic cricketer – not from your team – do you think will end the summer as PCA’s Domestic Women’s MVP?
- 4 – Grace Scrivens (Sunrisers); 2 – Lauren Winfield-Hill (Northern Diamonds), 1 – Emily Arlott (Central Sparks), Ellie Threlkeld (Thunder)
- Which overseas cricketer do you think will be the stand-out performer in The Hundred?
- 2 – Ellyse Perry (Australia – Birmingham Phoenix); 1 – Maitlan Brown (Australia – Southern Brave), Sophie Devine (New Zealand – Birmingham Phoenix), Deandra Dottin (West Indies – Manchester Originals), Heather Graham (Australia – Northern Superchargers), Grace Harris (Australia – London Spirit), Harmanpreet Kaur (India – Trent Rockets)
- Which country will win this summer’s Women’s Ashes, and which will win the Men’s Ashes?
- Women: England 5, Australia 3
- Men: England 8, Australia 0
