The New Zealand women’s tour of England will run from 26 June to 17 July 2024, with the Sophie Devine-led White Ferns visiting England to contest 3 One Day Internationals (ODIs) followed by 5 T20 Internationals (T20Is). Ahead of the series, on 25th June, one of the queer couples in cricket, England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt and Katherine Sciver-Brunt, spoke to BBC Sport’s Chief Cricket Writer Stephan Shemilt about their egg-freezing journey and cricket’s Rainbow Laces campaign.
Reflecting on the importance of LGBTQ+ inclusion in cricket and the broader community, Sciver-Brunt emphasized the significance of having open conversations about the LGBTQ+ community in cricket and beyond. She noted that while their cricket team is inclusive and welcoming, there is still work to be done everywhere.
“It’s a time to talk more about the LGBTQ+ community in cricket and in general,” says Sciver-Brunt.
“It allows conversations to be had. Our cricket team is inclusive and welcoming, but also the work that needs to be done everywhere.”
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket are celebrating Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign designed to promote LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport. The campaign begins on Sunday, 30th June, at England’s second one-day international against New Zealand in Worcester. Here the players will be given laces, stumps will be branded among other steps.
About a month ago, the couple started their fertility journey, with Nat undergoing the egg-freezing procedure. Due to this, Nat missed the first T20 against Pakistan. The reason behind the miss was initially attributed to a “minor medical procedure” but was later revealed by the couple in Katherine’s Under the Lid podcast.
Nat expressed her view on women’s health and fertility, stating that it’s generally not discussed much. She preferred to be transparent about her situation rather than hiding it, highlighting the importance of prioritizing such matters and openly discussing them.
“I don’t feel the need to hide anything,” says Nat. “Generally, women’s health and fertility is not really spoken about that much.
“I could have just spoken to my teammates about it and, in public, not tell the whole truth about why I missed a game, but I couldn’t be bothered with the admin of remembering what to say. It’s a great thing to talk about. Cricket isn’t forever and prioritising things is important.”
Further in the interview, Nat acknowledged that she has a lot to learn about what captaincy entails. She explains that from the outside, it might seem like being a captain involves just answering a few questions in the media and making decisions on the pitch. However, she knows there’s a lot more that goes into it, and she recognizes that she has a fair bit of learning to do before she takes on that role.
“I’ve got a lot of learning to do about what that actually entails,” says Sciver-Brunt. “From the outside it can seem like you’re answering a few questions in the media and making decisions on the pitch. There’s a lot of other stuff that goes into it, so I’ve got a fair bit of learning to do before that happens.”
(Quotes sourced from BBC Sport)