NEWSFEEDZONE

Katherine Brunt’s England career was almost over before it began because she wanted to see Muse and Kings of Leon at V Festival.

It was August 2004. The 19-year-old Brunt was painfully shy and had been put off by a trial she didn’t enjoy. When captain Clare Connor asked her to play in a Test against New Zealand, Brunt had to be talked in to it by Rachel.

“I’d never aspired to play for England,” she explains. “I thought that level was a bit too scary for someone as shy I was. It was a huge deal and I palmed it off as nothing, until my sister smacked me around the back of the head and explained what I was turning down.

“She convinced me I was making a huge mistake, that I would always regret it, and if I didn’t like it she would pick me up to take me home. Reluctantly, I said yes, and it was the best decision I’ve ever made.”

More than 17 years on, Brunt, now 36, is still to see Muse and Kings of Leon play live, but she does have more international wickets than any other woman to play for England. She has won three Ashes series and the T20 World Cup. She is embarking on her fifth 50-over World Cup, looking to lift the trophy for a third time.

She puts her longevity down to determination and “good surgeries” on a body wrecked by almost two decades of stomping in to bowl fast.

“Every day I wake up and it is a mystery what I will feel,” Brunt says.

“I’ve had plantar fasciitis for nearly two years. That will make some people cringe, because it’s awful, a shooting pain in your heel when you walk. It’s worst in the morning, when you get up.

“I’ve felt pain in my feet every day for two years. I hesitate to put my feet down because I know what will happen.”

James Anderson, who has had an almost parallel career as England men’s all-time leading wicket-taker, says that his shoulder hurts when he brushes his teeth. For Brunt, it is her back that has taken a battering.

“Jimmy has a nice one if it’s only brushing his teeth,” she says. “Mine is putting my underwear on – you have to bend down more for that.

“I do wonder what I will feel like when I stop. Will this happen for the rest of my life? What state will I be in? That’s always a worry.”

It is not uncommon for Brunt to need help from her team-mates to get dressed. Whereas now it is her fiancee Nat Sciver, the debilitation goes back to getting assistance from former wicketkeeper Jane Smit, who hasn’t played for England for 14 years.

“That’s how long I’ve been dealing with this,” says Brunt. “If that can’t stop me, literally nothing else can.”

Brunt admits that Sciver has helped prolong her career, but also speaks movingly on how the relationship has changed her as a person.

Brunt was brought up in a strict Christian family and on a recent episode of the No Balls podcast she revealed a struggle with feelings of ingrained homophobia, despite being engaged to marry another woman.

“I grew up believing that being gay is wrong, disgusting and shameful,” she explains.

“When I first started playing county cricket, the one thing I really struggled with was being in changing rooms with people who were that way inclined.

“I hated it. I didn’t want to be round it at all.

“It was a big secret. Stay in your box, keep your head down, do as you’re told and work hard. No-one needs to know, because you’re supposed to be ashamed of that.”

At the start of Brunt’s career it was “inconceivable” to her that a high-profile same-sex couple could be so public about their relationship.

Although, in Brunt’s words, “the difference between then and now is ridiculous”, it still took immeasurable courage to admit to her battle with homophobia. Her honesty has been met with an overwhelmingly positive response.

“I get emotional thinking about it, because it triggers the feelings you kept stuffed down for decades,” she says.

“If I can speak about it – which is still very difficult – and help one person, it makes it all worth it.”

Still, there remains a divide in Brunt’s family.

“Nat doesn’t exist to my mother,” she says.

“She can never have a relationship with my parents. If I have children they will never meet them.

“I’ve always wanted to avoid these things. Why would I want people to look at me funny for holding Nat’s hand?

“I’m really happy now. I feel comfortable, safe and secure. I want everyone to experience that, but no-one should be ignorant to the fact that these things are still very real.”

Although Brunt and Sciver find complete acceptance in the England dressing room, they are aware they are still in a place of work, and any overspill from their personal life can have a negative impact on the rest of the team.

“We keep it completely separate,” says Brunt. “It’s a professional thing to do.

“We can’t risk having a fight or getting on each other’s nerves, because we’re here to win games of cricket for England.”

Struggling for motivation at the beginning of last summer, Brunt took inspiration from a conversation with her brother Daniel, but is happy to admit the end of her career is “not far away”.

“I certainly have a time in mind,” she reveals. “The problem is everyone wants to finish on a high and it doesn’t work like that.

“Claire Taylor announced her retirement very suddenly. She just got up on a chair in the team room. It was a real shock and I felt the emotion of it.

“Ever since she did that, I’ve sort of wanted to do the same thing. I feel like announcing it and having all that fuss beforehand is not me. Maybe I will just ride off into the sunset.”

For when she does finally hang up her boots, Brunt already has her own property development business.

“When it clicked that I was loving doing this as much as playing cricket, that was a big thing for me,” she says.

“I don’t need a lot to be happy.”

Maybe Brunt will also finally get to see Muse and Kings of Leon.