Nat Sciver-Brunt confessed to “mixed emotions” as she prepared to lead England in the first women’s Test at Lord’s, just five days after experiencing World Cup heartbreak at the home of cricket.
The four-day clash marks a milestone occasion for the women’s game as England finally get to experience a long-form, red-ball match at the sport’s most historic venue.
After 150 men’s Tests dating back to 1884, it is surely long overdue.
But the pride and fulfilment attached to the occasion is tempered by the rawness of Sunday’s T20 World Cup final defeat at the hands of Australia, a result that saw Sciver-Brunt’s side come up just short of their dream outcome.
“It’s a huge honour and a privilege that we’ll be walking out there tomorrow. It’s something we, as cricketers, have probably hoped for,” she said.
“I think it could have happened in the last three or four years. I think we are pretty deserving of being here and we’ll relish the opportunity.
“The change of format is great timing. The World Cup and everything we managed to do still has mixed emotions because the final result isn’t what we wanted but I’m so proud of what we were able to do throughout the tournament.
“I’m sure the disappointment won’t have left lots of people about what happened at the final, but we are looking forward to such a special week at Lord’s doing something we dreamt of as kids growing up. It’s a great time to be a women’s cricketer.”
Sciver-Brunt will play for the final time alongside Tammy Beaumont, who is bringing her long international career to a close at the end of the game.
Beaumont first wore the England shirt in 2009 and will be making her 261st appearance across all formats.
“She’s seen women’s cricket through all of the changes we’ve had, 17 years playing the game for England is a huge achievement,” said Sciver-Brunt.
“She’s scored a lot of runs for our team and we’ve relied on those runs a lot of times. She is someone who’s got great determination and resolve, (who says) ‘no-one is gonna get me out. This is my day, I’m scoring runs’.
“That attitude will certainly be missed. I hope we can send her off with a great week here at Lord’s.”
Vice-captain Charlie Dean and all-rounders Freya Kemp and Dani Gibson have been rested with an eye on workload management in a busy summer. Alice Capsey is set for her Test debut after four years as a fixture in the white-ball set-up, while 18-year-old spinner Tilly Corteen-Coleman is also in contention to make her bow.
The Test takes place 50 years after the first women’s international at Lord’s, when females were not allowed to be members of MCC and were denied access to the Long Room.
England are hoping for a rare win in the fixture, having tasted victory just once in the previous 15 Test matches against India. There have been 11 draws and three defeats along the way, with their sole success coming in Jamshedpur in 1995.
