Katherine Sciver-Brunt: England bowler announces international retirement

1 year ago 33

Katherine Sciver-Brunt has retired from planetary cricket, saying that playing for England "saved her life".

One of the top accelerated bowlers to play the game, Sciver-Brunt, 37, has taken 335 planetary wickets, much than immoderate different pistillate for England.

In a 19-year career, she won the Ashes 3 times, the 50-over World Cup doubly and T20 rubric once.

"I'm arrogant of the past 19 years and I'm arrogant of who I americium now. It's been special," she said.

Sciver-Brunt, who volition play 1 much play successful The Hundred with Trent Rockets, revealed she made the determination to extremity her England vocation astatine the Fairbreak T20 contention successful Hong Kong successful April.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Sciver-Brunt said: "It's decidedly the close clip and I'm decidedly blessed with the determination I've made.

"I consciousness similar I've been reasoning astir if forever, not truthful overmuch from a emotion perspective, but from a assemblage position and if I americium inactive giving the champion I tin for England.

"My caput has slipped successful the past six to 8 months, wherever I person felt I haven't been capable to springiness 100% of myself."

Sciver-Brunt made her England debut successful 2004 and a twelvemonth aboriginal was portion of the England squad who bushed Australia to triumph the Women's Ashes for the archetypal clip successful 42 years.

She is ending her planetary vocation conscionable earlier different Ashes series, with England looking to regain the urn this summer.

"It was so, truthful hard, due to the fact that I emotion Ashes bid much than anything," she said. "You can't explicate it and you can't replicate it. When you're close successful the vigor of it, it's great. Even erstwhile we're losing, it's great.

"That small carrot was dangled and that was decidedly truthful hard to fto go."

A bowler of genuine gait successful possession of an arcing out-swinger, Sciver-Brunt has won 267 caps for England crossed the 3 formats. Her 170 wickets successful one-day internationals and 114 successful T20s are some England records.

Overall, lone India's Jhulan Goswami, with 355, has taken much wickets successful women's internationals than Sciver-Brunt.

Good capable with the bat to people much than 7,000 planetary runs, it was morganatic to see her arsenic an all-rounder.

Katherine Sciver-Brunt: 'You realise you've done it all, you've achieved it all'

As good arsenic the Ashes triumph of 2005, Sciver-Brunt was portion of the England squad who defeated Australia astatine location successful 2013 and distant successful 2013-14.

The T20 satellite rubric came successful 2009, the aforesaid twelvemonth arsenic the archetypal 50-over World Cup win, which was followed by victory implicit India astatine a sold-out Lord's successful the 2017 final.

"When you perceive them listed off, you realise that you've done it all," said Sciver-Brunt. "I truly loved conscionable taking part. Winning was brilliant, don't get maine wrong, but it's the journey. The travel I've had has been truthful good.

"The radical I've met, the memories I've made. I'm truthful grateful and blessed for the clip that I've had, which is astir apt treble the magnitude I thought I would get."

Sciver-Brunt doubly required country connected her backmost and said the wounded meant determination were times she "couldn't spell to the toilet properly", but she is presently afloat acceptable and that has not been a origin successful her determination to retire.

She ended her Test vocation past year and has revealed she besides stopped playing one-day internationals aft the triumph against South Africa astatine Northampton past July.

Sciver-Brunt's past crippled for England was the semi-final decision by South Africa astatine the T20 World Cup successful February, erstwhile she came successful for disapproval for the vexation she showed during the six-run loss.

"I didn't privation that to beryllium a story," said Sciver-Brunt. "I was truly upset and disappointed by the immoderate of the worldly that was said and written astir me.

"If anybody had followed maine the past 19 years, they cognize who I americium and what I'm about. I didn't privation determination to go thing of that.

"When you're afloat of emotion, having these thoughts wrong that nary 1 other is carrying, of people thing volition beryllium different. Can you power that? Who can? It comes from a bully place."

Sciver-Brunt's vocation has played retired during phenomenal maturation successful the women's game, from a clip erstwhile players were amateur to determination present being astatine slightest 80 professionals successful England and Wales.

The advent of the Women's Premier League (WPL) successful India has offered players life-changing sums of wealth to play successful a azygous tournament.

"It's mind-blowing," said Sciver-Brunt. "The WPL has changed everything. The happening I interest astir is if it volition alteration people's focus. Schedules are unreal.

"As you get older, you tin lone dispersed yourself truthful thin. Some things person got to springiness and immoderate radical are saying goodbye to planetary cricket.

"People volition pursuit money. It volition alteration the mode radical think, play and dispersed their time. That is the biggest quality and biggest worry."

Previously Katherine Brunt, she joined her England team-mate Nat Sciver successful May 2022. The mates decided to usage their joined sanction connected the tract earlier this year.

"Everyone needs a yin to their yang," said Katherine. "There are not galore radical who enactment up with me. She has the patience of a saint. She's an unthinkable human."

Katherine said she volition ticker Nat play for England "with my eyes closed". She volition besides proceed with a spot improvement concern and is unfastened to offers to enactment successful coaching and the media.

Sciver-Brunt has antecedently spoken astir however her narration with Nat has prolonged her vocation and however the narration has changed her arsenic a person.

She was raised successful a strict Christian household and said successful an interrogation past year that she grew up believing being cheery was "wrong, disgusting and shameful".

Now, Sciver-Brunt says she does not person the "emotional capacity" to picture what playing for England has meant to her, but does judge that it "saved her life".

"It has created an astonishing beingness I could lone person dreamed of," she said. "I emotion it. It was everything I needed to beryllium who I americium today.

"I consciousness precise fortunate and privileged to person led the beingness I have."

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