Sciver excited to see Keightley’s cricket journey come full circle in Perth

• Sciver is one of many England players who was coached by Keightley as a youngster in the academy set-up
• The Australian-born England head coach is no stranger to the tournament conditions, having coached Western Australia, Perth Scorchers as well as the national team in her career.
• England get their campaign underway on Sunday against South Africa at Keightley’s old stomping ground – the WACA.

Australia-born Keightley, who took over from Mark Robinson in January, may be new to the World Cup coaching scene but is far from an unfamiliar face to the majority of her England disciples.

Keightley already has a wealth of experience within the ECB ranks. Prior to coaching Western Australia and the Perth Scorchers, the 48-year-old served as England Women’s first-full time academy head coach between 2009 and 2015 - a stint long enough to get to know Sciver and co. well in their younger years.

Five years on and few are better placed than Scorchers star Sciver to know how much it will mean to Keightley to make her T20 World Cup coaching debut at the WACA.

“It’s quite nice to have gone full circle with her,” said Sciver. “She was my first coach at academy level and it’s the same situation for seven or eight players in our side.

“I’ve played under her for Perth Scorchers in the Women’s Big Bash League too but it’s a little bit different when you’re an overseas player in a tournament like that as coaches don’t want to step on each other’s toes.

“Obviously being the England head coach now, she’s really been able to impart her way of doing things and her wisdom. It’s been really nice working with her so far.”

The former coach of four-time champions Australia has now been tasked with revitalising an England side that will need to step their game up a notch if they want to be in with a chance of winning their second Women’s T20 World Cup title Down Under.

Their quest starts on Sunday against dark horses South Africa in Perth and Keightley is confident her knowledge of her home away from home — the WACA ground — will help England off to a positive start.

“It will just be like another day at the office,” she said. “I have worked around the WACA for the last four years, so I will be quite relaxed because I know the ground and conditions well.

“South Africa have a lot of gamechangers but so do we, so it will be about who can hold their nerve at the start of the tournament.

“I think we have been ticking along nicely and when we get to the game on Sunday, it is a matter of turning on the switch and stepping it up. We need to get our powerplay right then we will be very competitive and get the scores we need to win.”