'Cricket isn't forever' - Sciver-Brunt on egg-freezing

There was a clip erstwhile Nat Sciver-Brunt wouldn’t person wanted to talk for illustration this, particularly not to nan media.

“I haven't ever felt comfortable doing interviews, fto unsocial talking astir me. It’s been a spot of a travel pinch that,” she tells BBC Sport.

But talking astir herself is thing that has go important, if not to Sciver-Brunt herself, past to those who spot nan England all-rounder and Wisden's starring women's cricketer successful nan world arsenic a trailblazer, inspiration and domiciled model.

This peculiar speech starts pinch cricket’s Rainbow Laces campaign, opening connected Sunday astatine England’s 2nd one-day world against New Zealand successful Worcester – nan bid gets nether measurement successful Chester-le-Street connected Wednesday.

For Sciver-Brunt, it comes conscionable complete a period aft she and woman Katherine, nan erstwhile England accelerated bowler, went nationalist pinch their plans to commencement a family together.

“It’s a clip to talk much astir nan LGBTQ+ organization successful cricket and successful general,” says Sciver-Brunt.

“It allows conversations to beryllium had. Our cricket squad is inclusive and welcoming, but besides nan activity that needs to beryllium done everywhere.”

For nan Sciver-Brunts, Nat says being unfastened astir nan egg-freezing curen she has undergone is simply a “stage on” from publically coming out. The brace announced their engagement successful October 2019 and sewage joined successful 2022.

When Nat missed nan first T20 against Pakistan past period it was initially attributed to a “minor aesculapian procedure”, earlier nan mates discussed nan opening of their fertility travel connected Katherine’s Under The Lid podcast.

“I don't consciousness nan request to hide anything,” says Nat. “Generally, women's wellness and fertility is not really spoken astir that much.

“I could person conscionable spoken to my team-mates astir it and, successful public, not show nan full truth astir why I missed a game, but I couldn’t beryllium bothered pinch nan admin of remembering what to say.

“It’s a awesome point to talk about. Cricket isn’t everlastingly and prioritising things is important.”

Nat will beryllium 32 successful August. Rather than return a break from cricket to person a baby, she says nan adjacent shape of nan process will not statesman until she ends her career, pinch nan sport’s return to nan Olympics successful 2028 among nan targets she is aiming for.

Katherine, who is 39 adjacent week and retired past summer, has antecedently said that she has a “fertility travel to spell through”.

“She has tried to sound for illustration she didn’t want to person kids,” says Nat. “The reality is she has had babe names connected her telephone for a agelong time.”

The opportunity for Nat to spell acquisition fertility curen is partially made imaginable by nan ever-changing scenery of women’s sport, not conscionable done nan knowing of employers, but nan greater financial rewards connected offer.

Bought for astir £320,000 by Mumbai Indians successful nan Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction of 2023, Sciver-Brunt is 1 of nan highest-paid female athletes successful nan UK.

Earlier this year, erstwhile immoderate of England’s circuit of New Zealand fought pinch nan extremity of nan WPL, Sciver-Brunt said money was a “factor” successful her determination to stay successful India.

Though she says by that constituent nan “wheels were successful motion” for nan costly egg-freezing procedure, she acknowledges location would person been a clip successful nan reasonably caller past that specified a determination would person required important financial planning.

The Sciver-Brunts, past Nat Sciver and Katherine Brunt, were erstwhile landlords successful Loughbrough to 3 different England team-mates – Amy Jones, Fran Wilson and Beth Langston. With world players past connected one-year contracts, Nat tin callback asking nan England and Wales Cricket Board for thief pinch impervious of early net to support owe applications.

Clashes betwixt franchise leagues and world cricket are group to go much regular. Later this year, nan Women’s Big Bash successful Australia will beryllium squeezed betwixt nan T20 World Cup and England’s circuit of South Africa. England are yet to uncover really they scheme to navigate nan overlap, but Sciver-Brunt, who played for Perth Scorchers past season, says nan Big Bash is “not a thing” for her successful 2024.

Even without nan BBL, Sciver-Brunt is astir to embark connected a relentless schedule.

The bid against New Zealand will beryllium followed by The Hundred, aft which comes nan T20 World Cup successful Bangladesh. The circuit of South Africa includes a Test that will assistance preparations for nan Women’s Ashes successful Australia successful early 2025, past nan 50-over World Cup takes spot successful India later adjacent year.

In 2022, Sciver-Brunt took a break from nan crippled to attraction connected her intelligence health, pursuing a likewise hectic play erstwhile she besides captained England astatine nan Commonwealth Games successful spot of nan injured Heather Knight.

Now, Sciver-Brunt says she knows “more astir her herself” and, arsenic England vice-captain, says she would beryllium willing successful nan occupation full-time astatine immoderate constituent successful nan future. She is almost 2 years younger than Knight, who took complaint each nan measurement backmost successful 2016.

“I've sewage a batch of learning to do astir what that really entails,” says Sciver-Brunt. “From nan extracurricular it tin look for illustration you’re answering a fewer questions successful nan media and making decisions connected nan pitch.

“There's a batch of different worldly that goes into it, truthful I've sewage a adjacent spot of learning to do earlier that happens.”

The England captaincy and a family are perchance successful Sciver-Brunt’s future, but first comes tying nan rainbow laces successful her boots.