Women's Ashes 2023: Nat Sciver-Brunt says big crowds bring no extra pressure

1 year ago 32

Nat Sciver-Brunt says determination is nary other unit connected England contempt grounds summons income for the Women's Ashes.

With conscionable nether a period to spell earlier the multi-format bid against holders Australia, much than 70,000 tickets person been sold crossed 7 venues.

England's women's shot and rugby national teams person tasted occurrence earlier immense location crowds during the past year.

"We're the underdogs, truthful determination is not much unit connected us," all-rounder Sciver-Brunt told BBC Sport.

"The summons income is simply a large number, that comes with a batch much eyes connected us. That could bring pressure, but lone from the outside.

"These are opportunities that person to beryllium taken. It is the close time, close spot and close moment."

Australia person held the Ashes since 2015 and are the 50-over and 20-over satellite champions, arsenic good arsenic Commonwealth champions.

The Ashes series, which contains 1 Test, 3 one-day internationals and 3 T20s, gets nether mode connected 22 June.

Last year's combined grounds summons income for women's internationals of 50,000 has already been broken, with the grounds for an idiosyncratic women's bilateral planetary successful the UK - 15,000 - besides acceptable to go.

More than treble the magnitude of tickets for the past Women's Ashes successful the UK successful 2019 person been sold.

The precocious involvement comes aft a watershed twelvemonth for women's squad sports successful England. In July, the Lionesses won football's European Championship successful beforehand of 87,192 spectators astatine Wembley, portion this period the aforesaid crushed hosted 77,390 for the FA Cup last betwixt Chelsea and Manchester United - a satellite grounds for a home women's shot match.

In April, England's rugby squad sealed a Six Nations Grand Slam with triumph implicit France astatine Twickenham, watched by a women's grounds assemblage of 58,498.

"Hopefully we tin mimic what the Lionesses achieved," said 30-year-old Sciver-Brunt.

"It volition consciousness antithetic due to the fact that determination volition beryllium much radical there, hopefully making much sound and supporting us. That volition help, giving vigor erstwhile we mightiness request a small boost, oregon riding the question erstwhile things are going well.

"That's wherever we privation to be, we privation to play successful beforehand of large crowds, usage that noise, vigor and unit and crook it into a positive."

To location the ample attendances, grounds specified arsenic Lord's, Edgbaston, The Oval and Trent Bridge - venues usually associated with large men's matches - are being used.

It is simply a crisp opposition from the opening of Sciver-Brunt's planetary vocation a decennary ago, erstwhile she made her England debut astatine Louth Cricket Club successful Lincolnshire.

For the archetypal clip successful England, the women's Test volition beryllium played implicit 5 days, alternatively than the accustomed four. It is an effort to guarantee a affirmative result, aft the past six women's Test played by immoderate squad were drawn.

Despite Australia's dominance of the planetary game, England accelerated bowler Issy Wong has suggested it is simply a "great time" to play them, portion all-rounder Emma Lamb says Meg Lanning's broadside are "human" and "not perfect".

Sciver-Brunt, who made her maiden Test 100 successful the gully against South Africa past year, said: "Skill-wise I don't deliberation we request to alteration excessively much.

"The mode that we play is astir apt the biggest quality we tin make. We person made important advancement successful being aggressive, taking the affirmative enactment and ever trying to enactment the unit backmost connected the opposition. Being capable to bash that successful unit moments is wherever we tin win.

"Australia person been fig 1 for a agelong time. Coming up against a squad similar that is difficult. We volition beryllium enactment nether unit and volition person to beryllium astatine the apical of our crippled to bushed them. It is possible. We conscionable request to enactment it each together."

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