By Arjun 
England luminary isn’t intimidated by the enormity of leading her team under home T20 World cup pressure. Saturday, England captain Nat Sciver – Brunt and 37; after cricket was given a shot in England over Sri Lanka at Edgbaston on Friday
An all-rounder, who made her 50-over debut for Australia aged just 14 in 2000, believes the hopes surrounding the hosts are indicative of the increased profile and importance of women’s cricket. England are under the weight of local expectation, particularly after a slew of successes over recent summers for both England’s women’s football and rugbyman teams
England beat India in a warm-up ahead of the tournament, with Sciver-Brunt looking in decent nick with her bat after limited time on the pitch since last year’s 50-over World Cup semi-final as she finished 53 not out. He looks to continue the confidence he gained ahead of the tournament opener.
With a global event comes heightened expectations and Sciver-Brunt conceded spoke ahead of the match that this always comes with an ed. But she insisted the squad is taking a positive view of the spotlight.
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Such instances help inspire the next generation and take women’s cricket to even greater heights, she said. Swashbuckling allrounder Stokes, however, has insisted the players need to stay calm and work together in their camp, for what he describes as an exciting tourney despite what many have been marking down after months of noise in England.
On the other hand, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu is confident that all the pressure is on England. Sri Lanka come in as the underdogs and have everything to gain while playing with freedom and confidence.
Athapaththu, playing her tenth T20 World Cup and returning to England where she played at the first tournament in 2009, said her side is looking to embrace being underdogs. We need to play fearless cricket and have faith in our own ability against one of the tournament favourites, she said.
Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu ODIs sceptical but believes her team can surprise England if they play at their best.
England want to embrace the pressure of expectation on World Cup eve, but Sri Lanka are hoping their free-flowing brand can deliver a stunning opening-night upset at Edgbaston.