SCARY? I’M JUST A BIG SOFTIE REALLY!
Katherine Brunt on being the aggressive face of England’s World Cup challenge
Katherine Brunt smiles, a little too amiably perhaps, as she contemplates her reputation as the aggressive, almost scary, face of england women’s cricket.
‘When i was a kid i was properly shy,’ says the spearhead of england’s attempt to win the World Cup on home soil. ‘i was bullied at school because i was overweight and that made me self- conscious so i tended to stay in the background.
‘i’m the youngest of six, too, and i wasn’t comfortable being expressive and loud and stuff like that. But when you’re part of a cricket team it’s the only way to get yourself out there. and when it comes to playing for england, you need to express yourself and that made me way more extroverted.’
that’s why the most experienced member of the new-look england side, aiming to win the biggest prize in women’s cricket under captain heather Knight, will walk out at Derby to face india on Saturday bristling with intent.
‘i’m a completely different being when i cross that rope,’ says Brunt. ‘it brings out the best and worst in me. it comes from within and sometimes i cross the line but i’m not necessarily in control of it.
‘it’s something i’ve had to battle with over the years, to control the emotion and channel it properly. People can’t necessarily compare that person to how i am off the field. to me, i’m completely different.’
She certainly seems mild-mannered and friendly as we discuss england’s chances of going one better than the men and winning the global tournament this summer that will showcase the everimproving women’s game.
But the Yorkshire fast bowler, perhaps mellowing as she approaches her 32nd birthday and now an important leader in a young england team, admits her on- field persona can still often be confused for the real Katherine Brunt.
‘i’ve been told i’m unapproachable and i don’t like that so i’m trying to change it,’ she says. ‘i thought that was very harsh. the more cricket you play around the world, the more people get to know you.
‘Some of the younger ones in our team have been saying they’d like to have more feedback from me, which has been a bit strange because i have always kind of just come in and tried to do my job.
‘if i stand back and look around me, i’m the eldest, but i’ve always thought of myself as one of the youngest because i’m daft and silly. i play around and banter
and I can forget that I need to lead by example and pass on my experience.
‘But I’ve definitely improved on that, I talk to the girls and I’ve really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, it’s made me feel more mature, but it’s important I do that.’
as one of the best and fastest bowlers in women’s cricket, she is certainly important to england’s chances in a World cup where West Indies, South africa, New Zealand, India and favourites australia could all challenge.
this tournament will show how far england have come under the new leadership of Knight and coach Mark robinson, who took the bold decision last year to move on without the iconic figure of charlotte edwards.
Brunt says: ‘I’ve learnt more in the last 12 months than I have my whole career and that has reinvigorated me. I want to be better than I’ve ever been. I want to contribute more as an all-rounder and even though I’ve never really been known for my batting, it’s definitely something I’ve worked on a lot.
‘Mark comes from a bowling background and became a senior player, and has a lot of time and respect for people like that. I hope I fit into that category. When you get to my age you don’t stop learning and don’t stop giving. It’s not about being comfortable and feeling that the level you’re at is oK. I want to be better, and robbo gets that. He encourages that and it’s great. It brings out the best in me.’
It will be strange, she admits, to go into a world tournament without figures like edwards and Lydia Greenway, another experienced player squeezed out by robinson because he felt england needed reinvigorating in the aftermath of their defeats in the last ashes and World twenty20.
‘It’s a different team and a different feel but life moves on and we’re in a new era now,’ says Brunt. ‘Beth Langston and Lauren Winfield tell me I once ran past them on to the field before a match when they were little girls waving flags, so that does make me feel a bit old. How embarrassing is that?
‘charlotte and Lydia will be missed, that’s for sure, they were really good friends and team- mates, but things change. a lot of youngsters have come through and they’re exciting. and people like myself have got to pave the way for them. It’s good to be a part of it.
‘Mark has given me added responsibility by making me part of the leadership group with Heather and anya Shrubsole and I guess we make sure things are going smoothly and also pass things on to the less experienced players.
‘I do love being part of that and because I’ve learnt a lot over the last year, I just want to make the most of the time I’ve got left.’
Now she approaches the big day and another World cup for a woman who starred at Lord’s when england won the World twenty20 as long ago as 2009.
‘It’s going to be huge and the opportunities that will come from it will be massive,’ says Brunt. ‘It will be a complete story if we reach the final at Lord’s. there have been so many disappointing things on this journey — for instance Sarah taylor having a bad year — and it would be a fairytale ending if we could do it.
‘everything has changed. We lost charlotte and Lydia and got a new coach and set-up. We’ve been coming second a lot but we want to close that book and turn a new page.
‘a lot of girls get nervous a long way out but if anybody asked me when our first game was and who we were playing, I’d have no idea. It’s only as it gets closer I know we’re playing India at Derby.
‘I don’t want to know until I have to, because until then I just concentrate on being that much fitter and being ready to bowl how I have to bowl.
‘I don’t want to s*** myself about things I don’t need to know just yet. I prefer being lastminute.com. My mum used to have to ask me 20 times before I would do the dishes. I like to wait until I’m ready. that’s just my way of coping.’
and she smiles again, which is terribly bad for her scary image.