England women’s T20 World Cup chance to end nine-year trophy drought in 2026

England have not lifted a major trophy or Ashes series since 2017 despite being pre-tournament favourites.

Captain reflects on underperformance Nat Sciver-Brunt believes England have fallen short of expectations since their celebrated victory at Lord’s in 2017. The side, often tipped to contend in major events, will enter this summer’s home T20 World Cup having gone nine years without claiming a major trophy or Ashes series. Sciver-Brunt took charge early last summer and guided the team to a semifinal exit at the 50-over World Cup in 2025. 'Being in those teams and being in those squads, the feeling was that we certainly could have won a bit more,' she explained. 'There was quite a large change of personnel and people trying to find their feet in the team, and getting some youngsters into the group where you rely on your senior players to help them along and are trying to accelerate their learning. We would have liked to have won a lot more than we have done and we’d obviously like that to change this summer.' ## Domestic growth hasn’t translated to silverware Since the landmark win at a packed Lord’s in 2017, England have failed to secure any of the four T20 World Cups, both 50-over editions or the five Ashes series. The team also returned empty-handed from the 2022 Commonwealth Games with no medals. Positive steps such as the professionalisation of domestic cricket and the launch of The Hundred followed the 2017 success, yet trophies have remained out of reach. ## Sciver-Brunt eyes legacy-building summer Sciver-Brunt has spoken before about her desire to mirror the major-trophy success of England’s women’s football and rugby teams on home soil this summer. She made the comments at an event organised by cricket charity Chance to Shine, which runs leadership and cricket-skills programmes for young girls—the very participants she hopes to inspire in the coming months. 'A win could change what women’s cricket looks like in this country,' Sciver-Brunt said. 'Just the carrot of that is enough to motivate anyone really. It certainly could change what this team is about. We didn’t really do it after 2017, but being a consistently good team is something that everyone tries to do. I’m hoping we can be a consistently good team and we’d love to start off with a T20 World Cup win.' ## Squad selection and fresh talent options England will announce their T20 World Cup squad this week. Sciver-Brunt and former captain Heather Knight will be the only players from the 2017 final XI still in the squad. The core remains similar to recent line-ups, but selection decisions loom over whether to include emerging talent such as 19-year-old batter Davina Perrin or 18-year-old spinner Tilly Corteen-Coleman. Corteen-Coleman stood out in intra-squad matches during a South Africa tour earlier in the year, which England used as World Cup preparation amid a winter without international fixtures. ## Training camp choices defended Sciver-Brunt justified England’s decision to skip a round of 50-over domestic matches in favour of another training camp earlier this month. 'We thought it was our best preparation for our bowlers to be bowling against our batters and really be put under pressure to execute their skills,' she said. 'I know that meant that some games were missed, but as a team we found it really valuable to be together. We haven’t played that much cricket over the winter, so being together as a squad and trying to recreate some of those pressure situations was really important.' ## Player experience and squad size Sciver-Brunt has featured 278 times for England since making her debut in 2013. She leads a squad preparing to chase its first major trophy in nine years at the upcoming T20 World Cup on 12 June.