'Sciver-Brunt needs strong deputy to lead England'

All-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt is the "obvious choice" to replace Heather Knight as England skipper but will require a strong vice-captain, says her former team-mate Lauren Winfield-Hill.

England are yet to appoint a successor to Knight after she stepped down following this winter's dismal 16-0 Ashes defeat.

Charlotte Edwards was appointed coach last week and said she wants to make the decision "pretty quickly", with Sciver-Brunt, 32, arguably England's most important player, the leading contender.

“She has got a massive workload so the vice-captain is so important to take some of that load off her,“ Winfield-Hill told BBC Sport.

”You want them to be your blind spots in a way.

“Nat isn't hugely expressive or animated. She's very calculated, just goes about her business quite consistently and calmly.

“So that's where you want your vice to be revving the girls up and being more forward and a bit more energetic, bit more ruthless.

”Around that, Nat is the calm head you need.”

At her unveiling, Edwards said she wanted her captain to be "someone who leads from the front in everything they do, someone who has the respect of the current playing group".

Sciver-Brunt was part of the team that won the 2017 World Cup and has played 259 times for England across formats.

She averages 46.47 in Tests, 45.91 in one-day internationals and 28.45 in T20s while also taking 181 international wickets.

Sciver-Brunt is one of two players to express interest publicly in replacing Knight. Charlie Dean admitted she would not turn it down if approached.

”For me she is the best player in the world at the minute, there are probably only a handful of other players in her category,” said Yorkshire captain Winfield-Hill, who played 98 times with Sciver-Brunt for England including at the 2017 World Cup.

“There has been some talk about not wanting to burden her with it. But on the flipside, you think we’ll give her a chance, see what she can do.”

Sciver-Brunt's served as Knight's vice-captain but her results when stepping up were mixed.

She was in charge on the field when England exited the T20 World Cup at the hands of West Indies in shambolic fashion last year after Knight was injured while batting.

She also took charge for the Commonwealth Games in 2022 when Knight was injured and England failed to win a medal.

Later that summer, Sciver-Brunt took a break for her mental health and on her return initially opted not to take back the vice-captain's role.

”She's taken over intermittently when Heather hasn't been there in the past and it probably hasn't gone how she would've liked at times, so give her a good run and see if she can put her stamp on it,” said Winfield-Hill.

“Anybody else would be a bit of a shock. She's the obvious candidate.”

Edwards has said she will make England’s players ”accountable“ for fitness after criticism over the winter.

She is overseeing England’s fitness testing in Loughborough this week.

“Fitness and physicality is different to athleticism, Winfield-Hill said.

“I don't know if the standards have dropped because I'm not there so I don't know their 2km times or anything like that.

“But just things that you see in the fielding and the opportunities that were missed, it has definitely dropped.”