Test Match Special - No Balls: The Cricket Podcast - The Brunt and Sciver episode

Episode Date: February 18, 2022

England stars Nat Sciver and Katherine Brunt join Kate and Alex for a fascinating chat about life and love as international athletes. Look out for a VERY competitive quiz.

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It's what England we're looking for. Partly falls down. the track comes scoring this time she connects it's either six or out it's six and it's six no one else because I'm still in a room

isolating no one else we have got a guest baby two guests two guests and not being funny but it's a really long episode so shall we just jump straight in well should we just are you all right how you doing honestly i'm so good last three days of freedom coming to new zealand quarantine's been cut short for both of us what a winner yes yeah we were like day four of quarantine and we got this message truth from the government being like you only got to do

seven days not ten amazing winner right you're all good i'm all good here's our guest Ladies and gentlemen, it is finally time to invite the Queens of Cricket onto this podcast. We've got The Scrant, Natho. Catherine and Nat, welcome to Nobles of Cricket Podcast. The Scrant. Hi! The Scrant's absolutely outrageous. Natho Scrant.

Natho Scrant. Do you have a name that we call you that you prefer? The Siverbron? I mean, Briver's slightly less rude. Briver over scrunt. Yeah. Scrunt when you're in trouble. Nathos, probably.

Nathos, the least offensive in Tate. Let's go with that one. Natho. Right, well, thank you very much for coming on our podcast, Natho. How are you both? And how's quarantine being? Currently, on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being not okay. we're about nine.

So once we get out of here, I'm hoping the slow decline back to one being, you know, a supreme being will happen very quickly. Do you, like, is it actually better you two being together, do you think? Or would you have rather done this separately, be honest? I think, well, it's definitely better together. Last night was probably the peak of Catherine's cabin fever.

but really hitting. Ella Donison's our neighbor. She made no complaints, but I was making noises like a banshee and shaking that a few times. I was shouting help me as well. Runty, you get cabin fever when you're not in a cabin, like when you're out in the open.

So honestly, I can't imagine what it must be like quarantining for seven days with you. Do you know what? when it gets to the evening for some reason like I get really tired my eyes go really bloodshot Catherine really gets annoyed at me for that but then when we

when we're trying to go to sleep Catherine like doesn't so she just tries to fight I feel like everyone can sympathise with me when your partner's literally knackered and sleeping and you're laying there rocking like some crazy person

thinking, oh, how can I entertain myself in the dark? Oh, I'll talk to myself. Or maybe I could try me. You can shuffle your iPod. Yeah. Oh, so yeah, that's, I'm just not patient enough. Maybe I should watch, listen to No Bulls. That'll send you to sleep.

Yeah, you'd be great. That's the key. So we thought we'd go in with the hard hitting questions to start with. You know, we've actually been asked this on the podcast before. what is it like when your future wife drops a dolly off you? Can't see me face right now. Who did you ask before? No, it got asked to us last week on the podcast.

What happened? How did the team deal with it? I don't know how they teamed out of it, but probably similar to me. Just go out of this. Just hide. I've actually, no, I made a good. Any eye contact.

there was a video of the drop catch so I made a gif of you like you just played dead you're like pretend it didn't happen pretend it didn't happen and so I've made this gif and I wanted to tweet it when you won the game but you didn't win so I'm like just go to get in my drafts oh dear you should send it for loles you can use it for other things such as um I don't know when you when you've when you've realized that you're going to be in quarantine for 10 days with katherine hilarious my favorite part of the drop patch was when I think Nat you might have had Brunty's hat to give

back to it the end of the over and she pretended to slap you across the face I think it was actually a right hook yeah yeah I mean just how do you get it's like you didn't have the hat as well if there was a drop catch and the broken hat at the same time

I got in trouble like my favorite reaction there wasn't even anything to do with me and that It was actually Anya off my bowling, just a simple one, casual one down to third man, turned into some sort of boundary. And Anya just stood up, bolt up. As soon as it went past it, just like, was like sort of, you know, to the floor, angled to the floor and then just bolt up right suddenly, like, what's his name from WWF, The Undertaker,

stood up, bolt up, right, and then just stared and looked and went. I mean, I couldn't even react because it was actually quite funny. in all seriousness what is it actually like playing together is it something you've had to get used to or something you've played together so long you're used to it by now well well well I mean when a catch does come it is terrifying it is slightly terrifying but I think that everyone feels that anyway everyone said that's like the main feedback my whole career is fielding off my bowling is terrifying. Yeah, Alex has definitely told you that before.

I do apologise to all past and present for that feeling they have had to endure. I don't mean for it. Yeah, sorry. But I remember once fielding or misfielding of all. And like, the thing that you shouldn't do is look up at the big screen when you miss fielded a ball and it was on Catherine.

And she's like, she's fucking shit. No, not she. That was. I mean, you were sheds at fielding now. Let's not beat about the bush. What's it like? What's it like? Well, to be honest, I'm a serious note. It's 99% brilliant. I love it. Like, I'm a very needy person and they get quite lonely. So without Natty, I reckon the last part of my career, which I'm going

through now would not have been happening i wouldn't have been as rejuvenated i don't think like i just it got to a point where i was just like losing gas losing motivation but then not like pumps all that back up and gives me like a reason to hang around and and enjoy myself again so there's a serious fight if you like that's really sweet i feel the same way about you not as well You reduce it. That's some good feedback. Thank you. I'll use my rejuvenating qualities.

Have you noticed there's none for me there? That was all one-sided. Thanks. I mean, I mean, amazing chat. We always, I think we always take ourselves for granted because other people in the team

who have got partners have to leave them at home. And that will happen to us, which could be a bit of a shock. but on the flip side of that people do ask me how on earth do you spend every single second of every single day all year round with Natalie and vice versa and it's easy honestly we literally have no problems the only problems in care is when I have I am just a little bit loopy sometimes and then it's on Nat to deal with it and obviously we all know Nat's got the patience of a saint so she's like copes with it better than literally anyone in this entire world, hence why we are together forever. And just to confirm the loopiness, no one can see this, but Brunty's actually just gouging at a kiwi fruit with a knife right now

and eating it off the blade. She can go into the other room and get a teaspoon. She just found the knife instead. Come find a spooing. Which is spoiling. Yeah, that's Barnsley chap for you. So you two, you've obviously told the world that you two are together. Was that an easy decision to do?

Or was that something you're quite reserved about? Like, how did it come about? I think, well, actually, there was quite a long time gap between us officially being together. And, well, I mean, a lot longer time gap between us unofficially being together. but officially being together and then telling people outside of the team and our family. But that was, that wasn't because, I don't think that was because we didn't want to, but because there was a lot, there was a lot more to it than what people understand. Probably more so for me than Nassly, because that's just really easy going.

Luckily, my family is very easy going as well. And also she doesn't see like the dangers or the what ifs or the question marks that I do. So me naturally as a person, I can walk down a street and I'm thinking of if a car was to swerve near me now, where's where do I get out? Where do I jump? And do I pull now or push her? Stuff like honestly, I'm not even being funny. This is the inside of Kathy B's brain. I'm also thinking if there's an emergency

or somebody's running at me what do I do in that situation whereas my exits that's how I think when I walk down a street and generally in life whereas these things don't go through Nat's head they don't occur to her so like with the whole situation

of being gay for a start and then being a couple and then realizing oh actually we're quite well known oh wait we've got multiple thousand followers oh wait millions of people watch on TV. If you say something about it, it's not going to be a little bit, it's going to be a lot. So once we realise, like, the stage we were on and the impact that would have, potentially, I think that made it take a lot longer to talk about. But for me, it would have been

a lot less had I not had my family in mind. So obviously, growing up, I was a Christian. mom is a devout Christian, some of my siblings still believe in God, but that is just like, so I've like dealt with a lot of shame throughout my whole life. And so just admitting something like that is, is not necessarily something I ever wanted to really, because I never wanted to admit that I was really. Still, I still have homophobia. Like that's not something anybody would admit to, but being gay and homophobic. obviously don't go but sometimes I feel like that because that's how I was brought up to be like do you know what I mean

which is so I have to like it'll happen in my head and then I'm like whoa stop doing that what are you doing well it's probably a bit to do of a bit of shame still yeah absolutely yeah I still think of myself in that way but that's something I have obviously I have to deal with and we'll continue to but so it was clearly like quite a brave decision for you to then and just tell the world that you were together. Massively. And the only person I could think about the whole time was my mum, because we knew that Nat's mom and dad

would be fine with it. But I just didn't want it to get back to my mom and then her just feel disappointed in me. But I can't live my, you know, you can't live your whole life based on the way one person feels. Like, even though that's the most important person to you, like you can't live your life. like that you can't live a happy and balanced life that's the way you go about thinking and feeling about yourself so yeah it's been a lifelong challenge but i'm in a way better place with it now and that's part and part of helping me feel better about myself all the time really well i'm glad

it's better for you now but i remember when you first did your interview i think it was around was it around Pride Week an interview came out like your first one and I remember all the feedback was just so amazing on it and you can be proud of that as well because it's a big deal to people

outside of cricket let alone within cricket so good on you both I guess you never know like that one that one comment that you get on social media can like sometimes it can really affect you but I don't remember seeing any

and it was just I think it was, well, a bit of a surprise to me. I was massively blown away by it, to be honest. I think we did it in a really good way. Yeah. I mean, I know, like, we didn't, we've never shoved it in anyone's face or paraded ourselves around, even though obviously we should feel comfortable enough

to act the way we want to act. It's not necessarily how we feel, like, comfortable, in a comfortable way, like. But I think we dealt with it in a, in a sensitive way and because the world is still learning unfortunately and we'll continue to do so and trips and drabs is you know the way forward correct right deep serious chat gone I'm getting emotional and it's 10 o'clock in the morning and why did you both start playing cricket. What was the one reason you both started playing cricket?

I think for me it's difficult to pin it down to one, but I was always interested in all sports and just playing any sport that boys could do. I played a lot of football with boys teams and like up until I was, I don't know, 13 or 12 or 13, I was still in boys teams and yeah. So then it felt just normal for me to go and play cricket, like with my dad or my brother or, yeah, like our friends. So it felt like quite a, I mean, I think I was fairly good at it because I had good hand-eye coordination and stuff. So I had, well, it was enjoyable.

Do you know I've got to hand-eye when she dropped both my catches, is she? Oh, sorry, I'm trying to say that. we're finished talking about that now all right, sorry, let's move on all right you clearly want to speak so you tell you your story no no

me so I'm the runt of the litter the runt of the brunt and hence and probably the shortest I am literally the official runt and I think that's why I've got so muscular because if you can't grow up

you grow out and if obviously I never wanted to think my six foot three elder brother could beat me at anything which is bizarre why you would ever think as a small runty little child female you'd be able to be a ginormous boy you know but I did and so that he was brilliant in basically shaping me as a human I don't think I would be where I am where I've been, if it hadn't been for Daniel. He's literally the next one up from me. So there's quite a big distance between all of us, but the one between me and Daniel, it's three and a half years. So it was on him to basically deal with me, look after me, teach me, play with me.

But you know what they're like older lads? They don't want to play with you. It's not cool, is it? You know, it's sad, lose a little sister hanging out with you. So we kept it obviously to backyard and, and, in the house breaking things so I would wrestle him

it win at everything and that's where me foul language came from because it used to wind me up off the scale so much that I could do nothing except cry

scream or just swear or just try and batter him and trying to batter him weren't really the best way because I used to get battered worse back so swearing it was I'm getting into cricket

with this This was about cricket. I'm just telling you how I've become so, like, mental probably. But then, so I've had to, my sort of, I've not learned from playing with me more where, you know, the skill level would be low. I've had an older, much bigger brother, absolutely rinsing me every day, at every sport there is. So naturally, I became quite good at stuff. Competitive. Yeah, massively competitive, but the desire to want to be better all the time.

so like if I didn't beat him at anything like I would just keep trying and trying and trying and so I think that's where I've got my resilience from too but also like when I came to play girls cricket honestly it was a breeze because I've been smashed by this older lad that so much that that just felt like well what's this way what's it I've been missing out on some stuff that I could have felt you know enjoyable about I love, I've got, I think how good you could have be. Yeah. I love the idea that, like, your brother used to beat you up so much

that you thought, I'm going to get him back with a real deceptive away swinger. Like, that's the way back in. I bet you didn't have the back in the hand when you were bowling in a band. No, I didn't. He would have been an awesome. Right. So you're obviously both very good at cricket. You've started way back when. You're very good at cricket.

Brunty, you literally like the most successful female. last ball that we've had. Nat currently top of the ICC ODI all-rounder rankings. So what is the secret to the success bruntary? How have you had such a longer that has got you to where you are right now, scoffing that Kiwi still? Been beating up by my brother. Well, honestly, it's the way you're shaped, I think, going up.

like obviously i'm joking about our daniel but he shaped me into a a strong girl yeah i was a tomboy but i was like i wasn't a girl going i was a just a strong person yeah never looked myself as a weak girl against strong boys i didn't i just saw myself as someone some person competing against absolutely anyone and it had the desire to do that even though I was extremely shy and reserved I still wanted to do stuff I still had that desire

but I think playing one of the definitely playing boys and men's cricket really challenges you and puts your out of comfort zone get me wrong sometimes I 100% didn't want to go

because it's either scared, nervous, anxious or you know there's nowhere to change and stuff like just simple things like but all these things try to stop you so doing that i think was huge for me um i think the things i went through as a kid like being bullied and the way i felt about myself and it gave me a massive backbone like the resilience that's where that's come from and the kind of you if you like so that's that one and then um just trying to find the one thing that i really thought i was really good at

So I never knew what that was going up because I just didn't know. A, I never knew what I wanted to do. And B, I didn't, I never thought I was actually good at anything. I just thought I was all right. You know, because I used to get beat all the time. School was horrible. I was never good at education. I just thought, what am I good at?

And then finding that one thing that you know you're, because you don't know it straight away. You figure it out. People tell you you get, you need, so you need the right people around you, I guess. So surrounding yourself with good people who tell you good things, the truth and then help you get there. What's been like the main factor? So every time you get injured or every time you've had to, you know, be wheelchair around, what's the main reason why you come back?

Because it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a challenge. So I've always had a lot of people tell me no. or told me I wasn't good enough or tell me I'm this and that growing up so and being the youngest of six like you're the baby, your siblings they still talk to me like I'm a child

or that you know I'm not 36, I'm 12 and I've always desperately wanted to be have my parents be proud of me or just stand out in some way stand out in some big way so it's definitely like if somebody says the doctor is the i blame it on the doctors too they always said like i don't think you come back from this as a fast bowler challenge as a quick exactly it's a challenge accepted they knew who they were working with

i know if you're a coach out there and you want me to get the best out of me Mike robinson challenge me tell me i'm not tell me i'm an old hag and that i can't find another gear and I'll I'll show you you know what I mean yeah honestly that's it and and he got the very when I thought I was you know on the big decline he did challenge me in that way and I I chose to I'll always choose to actually this is why retiring so bloody hard because I'll never not try to be better well you had you had a injury when Rabbo was there as well, didn't you? You had a back episode.

I had them intermittently every four years. Well, yeah, but he always wanted you to try your best to get to the team or I get to play, because you went to the West Indies not knowing if you were going to play or not. Some of the, it's not, never talk about the injuries, do we as athletes, but trust me, like some of the stuff have had have challenged me beyond all capabilities and mental capacities. Living with sciatica for nine weeks solid was, I would not wish it on the worst person in the whole world. I know it sounds very dramatic, but it's very hard to describe

until you've been through it. It's like just paying all day, every day. And you could, you just just cry because there's no, there's no, you can't stop it. And this is getting very dark now, but I'm just trying to describe some of the places I've been during these in, like, and you keep putting your stuff through it. You're like, yeah, come back to it again. Yeah, if you can get through that, you can get through anything, honestly. I can't even, is it, Nat's seen one or two of these episodes? There's like nothing she's ever seen.

I was about, we got new bifold dog. on our eyes and I took up in the morning banging the head on the bifold glass like this going help me help me can you imagine now right I can't imagine what this like what this is like brunti because I remember my first training camp crossy had to put my socks on for me because I couldn't bend down it's and I did have domes the scat was that the scan episode yeah I remember you can definitely relate I remember the 2014 Ashes when you had another back episode and I was bowling at the netts at the wacker and you came up to me

and you're like, I need to decide if I want to be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life or try and come back to cricket. And this was my first tour and I was like, how is that a decision? Honestly, it was like my first trip. I was bowling my seventh over the day. I was like, I think I might just leave it there now, thanks. Do you know what, I forgot about that, but now you said it, that rings a lot of bells.

honest i am though like that i know cossey yeah i'm very honest you're very honest too actually both of us but mainly well like we just say what we think or say how you feel gets in a lot of trouble but it's it's the environment where you've got to be open honest and me arguably too open honest with a lot of foul language but and burping and fine we do overshare don't we but it's important to know what people are going through because when you're going through stuff like that you think you're the only person in the world that's suffering and it's just hell when actually everyone is like going through the last two years of COVID I'm just like I actually want to know I actually wanted to know how you were all suffering if at all because I thought I feel

crap and I didn't know if that was wrong to feel like that as in as in what I'm seeing is that no one else is really struggling. Yeah. So why do I feel like this? No, everyone else is all right. I better get myself so, like, yeah. When actually would have been helpful,

you know, how everyone was feeling. I said that. I think everyone should carry a sign. You're like, I'm feeling shit. I feel crap today. Give me a hug. Oh, like, you know, when you used to, when you were younger,

when you were young and you went to Ionapa and you had that traffic light party with a red sticker green, and gramba sticker, you just put it on your head. Ayenapa, aye. Nat, what's the secret to your success? You're the best all-rounder in the world. You two are just incredible cricketers.

Nat, why are you so good? I don't know. I think probably growing up and playing everything under the sun and competing with boys. Like Catherine said, playing in a boys team. I know it's funny because we're like we need more girls teams and we need more girls to play cricket and so you want obviously the thing to improve

would be to have more girls' teams and have more girls' clubs but then I think everyone here has probably played in a boys' team and improved because of it. And yeah, so I do wonder if there's a reason why everyone who's here has probably played in a boy's team and had to overcome something like that. but not overcome because everyone probably had different experiences playing in those

scenes but it just kind of makes every experience after that a little bit easier yeah it does and yeah because you're not sure if you're going to go to the disabled toilets in the next building to put your whites on or yeah not to mention going about periods while you're any whites guys that I'd throw that one out of that that's when I first came on my period oh cricket gaming whites Oh my God, did you? I was like 17. I was a real late bloomer. 17?

Sorry to all the male listeners out there. Give me some real talk. Sivs, I can tell you why you're so good at cricket. It's because you, a length of every single female sister in the world drives, you can play off the back foot and hit everyone through a midwicket, and it's really fucking annoying. That's why you're so good at cricket. Preach.

I have like Bollinger in the net. She's getting some right on my. Facing Catherine is awful. Actually, Catherine has also helped me a lot. Not only from being with her, but actually, I mean, at uni, she was my coach for a year. And she asked me one day whether I was really serious about playing for England. And at that time, I was fat Matt. He was really enjoying uni, having a great time. We've all had that stage. Just doing what you should do at uni. I can show you a food diary if you like. We had to send food diaries to Catherine every week. We had to give it on on Thursday, maybe Thursday lunchtime.

And Wednesday was the big night to go out with the cricket team, the sports night. So you have to write 17 VKs down on you. Yeah, correct. So you just sort of copy and paste it, and bobs from last week the week before. Helen Shimon was one of my favourites because she was just always extremely truthful. She put like seven Jaeger bombs, 12 apple sours and six G&Ts and a full roast chicken in the oven before I went out and a loaf of bread. I swear to God, a loaf of bread. And the calories for the night honestly were about 8,200.

I just couldn't, I couldn't fathom this. But she was as stick thin and the best athlete in the whole world. So it was like, you eat and drink what you like. You could put minus for spewing. Oh, yeah. 2,000 calories for the spiel. They got cancelled out, so that was good. Anyway, in between me, trying to say something serious,

we got on to speak about things. For the listeners out there, that noise was naturally striking me. Catherine one day asked me whether I was serious about playing cricket for England and I was in the middle of enjoying myself but really I was and in my previously in my life I had been serious about things but not in my head I've been serious about things but they're not acted on it so I didn't want that to be another act yeah for me wanting to play for England but not but just going about it in the wrong way yeah so that's

was really the start of the change really. A lot of girls around at that time at the unit, there's a lot. There was, you know, Tammy, Lauren, Shippers, you, Amy, Beth, Anya, Georgia. Loads of amazing cricketers come through that you didn't know were there yet. And they all kind of, maybe we're on the same level. And then obviously if they're all spending time together, you all feed off each other, don't you? So everyone's quite relaxed, quite laid back, loving,

the union life and not sure what angle to go um yeah and then i sent natalie a hilarious email at christmas oh my god i still got it um this was after the series chat and then katherine i think i don't know why you were the dietitian as well well no it was kind of forced upon me i didn't want to do the dietary role anyway she sent me an email specifying what i was allowed to eat on christmas day Let's keep this inspiration on that. Yeah, I was in France as well. So, you know, there's a lot of delicious bread and cheese and wine and drinking.

And yeah, I mean, I followed it mostly, I'd say. Lies. No, I did change what I ate that year, which was very sad that I did. But I did lose a lot of skimfolds anyway. Inspirational lines about me. But now it's, I mean, it's played off. It's worth it. You look at you now.

Look at you both now. You're both two of the best all-rounders in the world. So the dietician Kathy B worked. This is what happened. She listened to everything I said on that email, came back and within what, how long? What, back at uni? Yeah, once you come back from France, from the holidays.

It was like two months. two, three months. She went from 185 mil to like 140. She lost 45 mil on her skinnies, which we all know is a lot. And it's a lot. And then obviously continued on from then a hell of a lot more to half that now. So it's like, yeah, she got the most of them. I got the memo.

Got the teeth up. Yeah, she did. Right. Enough about Kathy B as a dietician. So I actually feel really honored here because I'm on this Zoom call with three of the defending champions of this Audi-I World Cup.

So I'm going to ask for some help because I've actually not played any games in any World Cup cricket and I need some advice. What is the best advice that you can all give me about going into this World Cup that we've got? Don't get yourself. Physically or mentally?

Mine would be, like, enjoy it for what it is because it could be a once in a lifetime opportunity it was for me. I've never had the opportunity to play for England after that. So just go and enjoy it. Yeah. I think this one is probably going to be, have a different feel to it, a bit like all of the cricket we've played in the last two years. But I think it's not taken away from that and still, I guess, knowing that

each hotel you go in I don't know if that's going to be the case now but you like see a different team and you're like oh god we've got to play them next or like oh they've just played someone else and it like when we were all together in England there was like

five teams in the hotel and you're like it sort of felt very exciting but is it a bit squid game like you see who comes back and who's happy and who's sad and yeah

basically well I was Scud game, people wouldn't come back. Well, when we get to the knockout stages, maybe that's good game. You're on the ICC fight home, sorry. Mine's a little bit opposite tonight. Mine would be to stay in your lane. So that cannot obviously be misinterpreted, that sentence.

But for me, it's about, and it's quite selfish, but concentrating on you, your job, your role. So, like, it's obviously a team game, and there's loads of other teams. There's loads of fixtures. You can think about four fixtures on. You can think about the team with you and how they're performing, you know,

the person you're rolling with or person you, that's before you're after you, like literally just staying in lane, right, what's my role? What does the team need for me now, from one game to a next? And it's so hard to do

because you always think about the tournament as a whole. And I am guilty. I've already looked at all the fixtures and thought certain things but it is literally the best thing you can do is just concentrate on the very next game and just focusing all your energy on that trust me by the time you get to the final if you get there is you are tired you're tired you're mentally drained and it's really hard to take it all in but you must must take it all them because like I'll say it can be a once in a lifetime thing and it also comes and goes

like that and you think Christ that was a huge tournament and didn't really pay attention you're just so focused in staying in your lane that you didn't take around taking like the crowd or the noise around you so it's only when you watch back you're like oh my god look how mint that was like those people in the crowd are going crazy so you just wish that you made more attention stay in your lane but look outside your lane it's like when nat tells me to go for a walk and she's like and she's like look up i'm like what you're on about was there a plane or something and she's like no don't you just when you go for a walk you tend to look at your feet don't you and where you're walking you don't take in all the lovely scenery and be mindful of where you are and what you

doing so I think it would be to look up and stay in your lane don't trip over your own feet got it and interpret that how you would like I agree with that because I remember thinking I was on the pitch in like Bristol and I was like I'm going to play for your thing for the next 10 years like and this is great look at me now yeah but you're commenting same same you're still with us yeah yeah to be fair I don't have the team meetings which is kind of a good thing and you've not got a bowl in the slot anymore so that was a good thing so excluding

excluding winning what were your highlights or low lights of the 2017 World Cup first question please to contestant number one kaffan brunt oh god highlights and low light was the very first game Derby and it was the what it was it was a low light but it was the biggest learning

of the whole tournament we got absolutely smashed by India at Derby and it was like India are here they're very bloody good don't underestimate them and don't think that this tournament will be anything less than

very hard and so proceeded the next however many weeks of of extremely tough cricket, a lot of competition, and the rebirth of Indian, the Indian cricket team. And it was just like, wow, there's your lesson, move on. And we literally got better and better and better and better. It was just a bit of a shock, wasn't it?

Or the expectation for the first game. We were like, yeah, we were the very first one. Not to mention we got told the wicket would be fast and bouncing. It wasn't. Yeah. It was just like we were expecting to get off to a great start. It would be brilliant. So that was a low light, but a big huge learning curve.

And then the highlight was the final, like literally rocked up. And it's lords. And you don't expect lords to be vibey and bouncing, but it was bouncing. And I was just like, oh, my Christ. like looking off the balcony if I thought my heart was racing like try a bit like I've actually got goosebumps here

this is so this is so cool honestly it was forming to palpitations as thinking about talking to the doctor I was like you shouldn't be able to hear your heartbeat and you shouldn't be able to see your chest moving like what's occurring but it was just the occasion

I was like a fucking hell we're here is it and there was ladies swinging on things outside our balcony honestly wasn't it she's like this like big ball she's on like a floating balloon and just like swinging around on this wire and i was just like this is an actual spectacle this is this is this is mad and people it was so it was deafening when you know when things were happening in the game from one dramatic thing to the next it was just like unbelievable okay same question to contestant number two, Alex, please.

Oh. My low light is actually my biggest regret in my cricketing career during that I woke up, and it was getting so drunk that I don't remember singing the team song in the dressing room. I have no recollection of it. How did you get so drunk in that short space of time? Because she's probably not eating for three days. I hadn't eaten all day because I kept being sick,

because I was so nervous. And then we did a laugh of honour and I drank a whole magnum of champagne. The whole thing. Oh my God. Well, do you know what? There is a video of that if you wish to re-live it. Yeah, I had someone send it to me.

So that's my biggest regret because that's a low like. Don't remember it. It's what we work so hard for as well and I just completely messed it up. Highlight was, it's obviously going to be the moment of the final. Eileen Ash ringing the bell for us to go out and sing the national anthem, which was class. I actually missed that bit.

I was late to the ground because there were so many cues to get in. And I remember Heather talking about how you sang the national anthem and there was a picture of Rachel Hayho Flint and Eileen obviously rang the bell and it was just so emotional and like I'm so gutted. I missed that moment, but it sounded so poignant. You actually missed that moment because my ex-boyfriend got stuck in a cubicle at a services.

Yeah. Yeah, that did have to break him out. Because he was putting his suit on, bless him. Do you know what? It's interesting. I don't actually remember any of that. Really? Yeah, because of what I said about my advice, staying here.

No, honestly, if you, like, it's so hard to look up because if you take in too much, it can get on top of you and just, like, be too much. so if you start crying in the anthem because it's just such an emotional moment and you ball to pieces and you've got to try and bowl you've got to try and open the ball

the first ball where everyone's going and then you've got a beamer five why wait we batted first yeah I know but just saying this is what I'm going that what's your highlight low light um

my low light was the first game as well um just being so disappointed that we didn't live up to our own expectations really because we because obviously robo had like earmarked the tournament obviously as a big one in our calendar and we've been talking about it for like a year ago like a year in advance we went to lords um when alec stanson did that chat for us and she did a um like the walk around it wasn't it so felt familiar when we got there on the final day like 18 months before it yeah and then

so our own expectations of ourselves was so high and then yeah we were a bit of a flop on the first game but yeah I mean you can't go wrong with the final being the highlight I was I walked out to bat

you scored a hundred in this tournament well I know but the World Cup 100 I could say that and I could say winning the game against the Australians and taking the catch off Catherine. I have taken the catch off of Catherine. That was a very good

catch actually. At Cal but walking out to bat and through the long room which is quite, is very stressful actually because you don't want to get timed out because usually

you just set the dog out and you walk out and that's fine because you can walk slowly but you have to like walk down stairs and walk through all these people. And not fall over. Not fall over. in your spikes and actually i remember seeing um fran's dad on my walkout friend of the podcast your favorite um and yeah just walking out onto the pitch and looking around i was i was looking up i was looking at the crowd and just taking that all in and yeah i just being there on that day i don't know if i like experience anything like that again

walking out to the middle wow well I'm excited now thank you I'll make sure I'll look down look up look around don't look down in your lane out your lane take it all in don't take it in don't spew don't drink champagne

nose spewing don't look at the big screen if I miss field off Brunty yeah don't do that that's that etched in my brain forever I'm only messing I'm only winding you up I think we've had you on for way longer than we said we would. We did say Brunty waffles, so we needed to take into consideration that this might be longer.

We normally do a quiz with our guests, but... Do you want to do a quiz? Because we know you normally do a lot of misses and misses, but we thought we'd do it at this time. Quick fire. So we've got Nat versus Catherine, who's the best we're going to have. Now, I've got your questions. Crossie's got runties He wants to go first

Nat I will Nat how many international runs have you scored This is too hard Can I have a ball Can I have a

It's more than five It is I don't know 3,965 Not far off But wrong 4,338 Oh well done

I've got 4,000. Catherine Brunt. First question. How many international wickets have you taken? International cross at all formats. Yes. I hate you. Didn't you just look that up?

No, I did. You can get tattooed on you? My God. Harry told me I was near something, so I had to see what he was talking about. Well, you've just gone past a milestone. It was unfortunately 220s, and that's gone now. another year for that.

You want to play more T-20s. One moment, please. Two hundred sixty. Three hundred and ten. Three hundred and ten-ish. Three hundred twelve, nearly, but wrong. Yes, that's twice the new. You didn't get the point there, did you?

No points, unfortunately. What? No, no. No. Nat, you are fifth in the world, but for what? So you've got a record, your fifth. What is it? A little clue, you will definitely become the best in the world in the near future.

Might have talked about some being missed or falling on the floor. Fifth in the world most catches. Yes. Yeah. I don't have been so far ahead. I would have had two more this trip. So the world record is 68 at the minute by Susie Bates and you're on 45. So you're definitely going to get there.

Oh. Yeah, boy. You are joint number one in the world for taking the most amount of wickets in a certain dismissal in test cricket. What is it? What dismissal? It's going to be.

You're joined with gozy. Yeah. Gozzy? So I should be like you're dead. Why are you conferring? You're going to each other? Why are you saying that? Okay, it's the most obvious thing in the world.

strangled our leg Nope LBW 18 Yeah I knew it was LVW She does that on purpose And you thought

was caught behind didn't you Yeah I thought it was caught behind So I didn't know the answer All the time Well I didn't know the answer I was probably Can't believe What are your best

ODI bowling figures Three for three Correct Brunty What are your best T20 figures. This isn't the two-train final, isn't it?

Three for six. Yes. Yes! So on that, we want you to argue whose was better? Mine. How many ages do you have?

You're yours in a World Cup final? No, mine was in the World Cup. No, mine was in the World Cup final. Not a final. Right. Move on, moving on. Sorry, I've created. I got out of West India. Nanya said that they were ruining women's cricket by just to let you know.

All of the balls. I can remember that. It was horrific. Nat, you've scored 2,275 ODI runs. How many boundaries have you hit? Oh, wow. She runs a lot, so probably not as many as you think. Not move. That GPS is off the scale.

Just, come on, 50. No. 200. 259. Oh, world though. Brunty, have you hit more sixes in T20 cricket or one day cricket? One day. No, T20, 10.

No! And eight in ODI cricket. Oh. Oh, I thought, surely ODI, because I've played A thousand games. I probably only hit eight in my career. Now, final one. How many Instagram followers do you have?

Oh, wow. 52,000. Oh, correct. Point. Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. Brunty. That shows how much we live on the ground. I'm on the ground.

Brunty, have you played more one-day cricket or have you posted more on Instagram? That is not how I like to live my life on the gram, so I've played more one day cricket. Yes, you've played 131 ODIs and you've posted 130 times on Instagram. Oh dear. Point.

Guys, thank you so much for coming on our podcast. I'm sorry we took a whole hour of your day. oh my gosh sorry to all the listeners for enduring my waffling it is um i've got problems you have been wendied yeah wendy waffler but honestly you've been amazing you've been very open you've been very honest you should be very proud of yourselves and we can't wait for the wedding we're invited open wedding happy wedding everybody love you bye bye bye Oh my giddy ant.

I mean, now you know why we call a Wendy Woffler, but how amazing are those two? And you can see why they work so well together as well, aren't you? Yeah, they're like polar opposites, but they just, they fit together perfectly. And you know what? I've obviously played cricket with them both in the same team for a while now. And I don't think I've ever seen them in that dynamic that they were in today. Like as chatty, as open, as funny. not that they're not funny, but, you know, like, I don't know, I just, I just saw a different

side of them today and I'd really enjoy that episode. Yeah, it was, it was good fun. And the way they've both opened up about life experiences and cricket and them together, good on them. Thank you. No, they were brilliant. We're really conscious it was a long episode, so we've not done much of me and Lee this time. But we hope everyone's all right. Don't have a clue what's going back on in the UK, but we hope everything's fine. If you want to, you can email us on. Noblespodcast at BBC.com.com.com.com.com.

It's so good. It's so good. They've said it twice. Crossy, before we go, good luck in the World Cup. We'll do an episode before that. Oh, lovely. We've got a guest for next week as well. Alex, before you go, good-looking quarantine.

Yeah, thank you, honey. Bye, everyone. Hi! And cross strikes in the first over. It's what England we're looking for. Partley balls. Down the track comes scoring. This time she connects.

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