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Nat Sciver-Brunt previews England - Australia T20 Women's World cup final
04/07/2026
ICC Women's T20 world cup final
04/07/2026
ICC Women's T20 world cup final
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00:00Hello Nat. So Eve of the final, how's everyone tracking? Everyone fit and healthy and how are you feeling about
00:07going into the match?
00:08Yeah, everyone is feeling good. I guess we had a training day at Lord's the other day as well.
00:15So yeah, I suppose feeling comfortable with what we've done. We've prepared so well throughout the tournament.
00:23And yeah, I guess it's just getting the afternoon right, try and busy yourself probably, try not to think about
00:31tomorrow too much and hopefully get a good night's rest.
00:35I guess that is unavoidable, that sense of occasion and it's a big deal and that kind of thing.
00:40How are you guys managing to keep a lid on that pressure, for want of a better word?
00:45Yeah, I think acknowledging it is going to be a big occasion, but it's why we've done everything that we've
00:54done so far.
00:56Everything that we've, you know, worked on and everything was to try and get us to this point.
01:01So yeah, I suppose acknowledging that and yeah, try and take in as much of the day as you can.
01:09I mean, being part of the 2017 final, we sort of spoke in a similar way about how special a
01:16day it was going to be.
01:18And try and, I guess, be really present during the day and try and enjoy yourself as much as you
01:24can.
01:24So yeah, that was what I've been trying to instill in everybody.
01:34How proud are you of how far you've come in the last few weeks winning, but not just winning, sorry,
01:41but winning quite comfortably?
01:43It feels like there's a bit of an aura in the group that could carry you forward regardless of the
01:47result tomorrow.
01:48Yeah, I guess everyone has, like, done so much hard work, I suppose, to get ourselves into this position.
01:54But I guess we would always, you know, work hard before a tournament.
01:59But I think the levels of confidence that people have in their own ability to be able to, you know,
02:06put their skills on display regardless of who we're playing.
02:10I think that's probably the bit that I'm most proud of and most pleased about, really.
02:16There's been so many different people during the tournament who have had their moment to shine and to show what
02:22they could do.
02:25So yeah, I think as a team, we're really, I suppose, well balanced in that way.
02:30That everyone has had success throughout the tournament and can draw on, you know, that moment, that feeling to help
02:37them tomorrow.
02:38There's been obviously a lot of talk about 2017, now we're back here.
02:41Do you carry that spirit into tomorrow or do you sort of, like, look at it as a fresh challenge
02:45given I suppose there's only three of you from that match?
02:49Yeah, I guess we'll, Heather, myself and Danny will be probably thinking about it a little bit.
02:55I mean, Danny and I's sort of lives have changed quite considerably since then.
03:00So, you know, we might not be able to prepare this evening in the same way.
03:03I mean, we watched Saving Private Ryan in the team room.
03:09I'm really sure why.
03:10And we only managed half of it because obviously it's a long film before the final in 2017.
03:17But yeah, I don't know if I'm going to have time for the rest of that film tonight.
03:24I think you said yesterday that you were feeling quite drained after the semifinal.
03:29I just wondered how the last 48 hours have been and you seem much, well, you don't seem drained now
03:36looking at you.
03:37Sorry, but how are you feeling and how have you got to that point?
03:39Yeah, obviously after a big semifinal late at night I was, yeah, I was a bit drained physically and emotionally.
03:48But yeah, recovering as well as I could have done yesterday and obviously done a bit of training today.
03:55Yeah, I feel prepared and ready for the game tomorrow for the battle because, yeah, I guess we know it
04:03is going to be one.
04:05The two best teams in the tournament who've gone unbeaten going against each other.
04:09It should be a good watch, hopefully.
04:12Can I ask about Lottie as well?
04:14How do you think she differs now as a coach to how she was as a player?
04:17You obviously played with her.
04:18Is she exactly the same?
04:20Do you think she's different?
04:22I think she has glimpses of being exactly the same.
04:26Like when she ran down for the drinks break after Soph took that catch.
04:32She ran down, high-fived everyone, got into the circle.
04:35It was like she was still playing.
04:37And then obviously switching on to then coach mode to talk to myself and Charlie about, you know,
04:42how the game was going and what we could do next.
04:46Yeah, she's got a great balance of that, I guess, playfulness in she knows how it is as a player.
04:53She knows what it takes to do what we do and then obviously sees the bigger picture
05:01and I suppose knows where to push or challenge or put an arm around or whatever it is that the
05:08players need.
05:08So, yeah, she's got a great balance.
05:12Hi Nat.
05:13Other than maybe watching Saving Private Ryan, how are you going to get your team ready for you yourself to
05:21lead England in a World Cup final tomorrow?
05:24What will that mean to you?
05:26Yeah, I guess in terms of preparation we've done it.
05:31I guess barring probably a meeting before we leave for the ground tomorrow just to get together again.
05:38You know, the people can, you know, go out for dinner or whatever it is.
05:43I think we'll have a little get together before dinner just as a team and family and friends who are
05:50around.
05:50So, yeah, I suppose try and treat it like any other evening in London.
05:57But, yeah, obviously switching on to that game mentality by the time we go onto that bus and come in.
06:07Obviously there's a few moving parts with the pre-game stuff tomorrow.
06:13You know, some of the girls faces when we were warming up on the nursery ground, you know, lots of
06:19people like to come and bowl before the game on one of the wickets.
06:24We had a few chins down.
06:26But, yeah, I guess that's what you get when you're playing in a final and there's a lot of other
06:31moving parts that aren't, you know, to do with the two teams playing.
06:35So, yeah, I think, yeah, everyone in terms of cricket is prepared as best as they can.
06:42We'll have one final meeting tomorrow before heading to the ground.
06:46And, yeah, hopefully we can go about our business as usual.
06:50And for you personally, what will it mean to lead your side out tomorrow?
06:54And have you spoken to sort of Heather and Lottie about doing it in their experiences of captaining in World
07:00Cup finals?
07:01No, I haven't spoken to them.
07:04But I know that they are very supportive of the group and what we're trying to do.
07:12I think everyone has been on, you know, the journey together in terms of trying to get our team to
07:18the World Cup final.
07:21And, yeah, I guess my feelings about walking out there, I'm sure, you know, they'll be very emotional about the
07:27day.
07:28It's obviously a huge occasion where, you know, we've worked really hard to get to this point.
07:35And, yeah, I'm so excited to be able to walk through that long room with the girls and know that
07:43we've got each other's backs.
07:45Yeah, I'm really excited about it.
07:48Nick?
07:50Now, for all the talk about 2017, you obviously beat Australia here in 23 in that Ashes series.
07:56And you've got a couple of players who've played in home 100 campaigns here and won the 100 here.
08:02How relevant are those experiences and how much can you tap into what happened on that night in 23?
08:06But also what Heather and Danny Gibson have had here with Spirit and such things.
08:11Yeah, it's funny. I was, I guess, obviously doing a lot of interviews about the 2017 World Cup.
08:17And we came, like, a few months before to have a training day here and, like, familiarise ourself with the
08:24ground.
08:24And now, you know, there's obviously a hundred team based here and we get to play here quite regularly, which
08:30is really cool.
08:32So, I guess, in terms of that, we have lots of people in our team who've got some great experiences
08:37of playing cricket at this ground.
08:40Not only because it's an amazing historical part of the cricket landscape, but, yeah, obviously the home team has been
08:49here.
08:50So, yeah, I think it's really cool that loads of people have some great experiences here.
08:56And I suppose the spectacle of it probably not as worn off, but it's probably not as high as it
09:02once was.
09:04So, yeah, I think using those experiences and the comfort levels that people should feel around this ground will be
09:10important to Maria.
09:12Can I just ask about going back two years to 24 and the World Cup in Dubai?
09:16If you go to what you felt like after that and where you felt the team was, I don't know,
09:23how realistic do you feel it was then to be where you are now?
09:29I guess a lot of crickets happened between 2024 and now.
09:35Yeah, I guess, you know, initially there was a lot of disbelief that we'd sort of lost one game and
09:41didn't quite make it to the semis.
09:43So, yeah, I suppose that game was, you know, chaotic for all sorts of reasons.
09:50But I think where we are now is, I think, a much more sort of composed and confident team.
09:58You know, we have been put under pressure and being able to come out the other side and our batting
10:04coach calls it nitty gritty moments.
10:07And there are those in every game that we play.
10:11But, yeah, I suppose so far in this one we've shown that we can get through those moments and come
10:16out the other side.
10:19So, yeah, I think we're, yeah, a very different team to 2024.
10:27Hi, Nat. Have you allowed yourself to think about legacy and what this would mean in terms of your own
10:33career and the legacy you might leave,
10:34especially, you know, there have been so many amazing things happening for English women's sport in the last year or
10:39two?
10:41I guess, you know, talking about the lionesses and the red roses and things like that before the tournament started,
10:48you know, as a side, we've got a chance to be part of that movement of women's sport in the
10:54country.
10:56But in terms of my own sort of career, no, I've not really thought about it.
11:01I guess I'm trying to stay really present and think about, you know, the things that are in front of
11:06me rather than anything too far away.
11:09Hopefully I can get a chance in the next, you know, few days after tomorrow to really reflect on what
11:15has been an amazing tournament.
11:17I mean, Catherine said to me after the game the other night, it's bigger than you think it is.
11:25So I guess we've sort of been living in our bubble as a team together and sort of not letting
11:34anyone stray out of that.
11:35I think once we, you know, finish the tournament and, you know, reflect over the next few weeks,
11:41we can hopefully see how much and how far we've come and what it is meant to people watching in
11:50the country,
11:53you know, whilst this tournament's been going on.
11:56But, yeah, for now we'll stay in our bubble and think about that later.
11:59And just in terms of your opposition, I mean, Australia have got some of their own legends creating their own
12:04legacies.
12:05I mean, is there a little bit more kind of, I guess, oomph in that you're playing against an old
12:09enemy with some really good generational players?
12:13Yeah, I guess every time we come up against Australia, it's going to be a tough battle.
12:19Both teams have got, you know, players that have got massive experience in the game
12:25and also some youngsters who are massively talented as well.
12:31So, yeah, I mean, we know that lots of their players have got experience of playing in the knockout games,
12:37the finals,
12:38and had loads of success.
12:40So, yeah, I suppose we're under no illusion that it's going to be a really tough game tomorrow against Australia.
12:49You know, finals like that don't come around that often.
12:55So, yeah, we'll be relishing the challenge.
13:01How important is somebody like Heather Knight in the squad in the 11?
13:06Because there had been some talk about the way she was batting her strike rate,
13:10but she proved herself time and again, that partnership yesterday.
13:14And she was telling us that it was one of the best partnerships that she's been involved with.
13:19Would you agree with her?
13:20Yeah, definitely.
13:22Yeah, Heather is such a crucial player for our side.
13:26You know, not only does she have massive experience in the game,
13:32and especially experience of getting England out of a hole.
13:38She's obviously worked on her game hugely as well and wanted to improve her skills
13:42so that she can up her strike rate if needed and sort of play the situation, yeah, as and when
13:49really,
13:50and have the confidence in herself to do that.
13:51So, yeah, she's a hugely crucial player for our side.
13:55And as a captain, how exciting would you see this all the NCSF coming to this camp?
14:00Yeah.
14:00Do you have now a very pleasant blend of experience in the squad building in the finals?
14:05Yeah, absolutely.
14:07I guess we sort of knew that of our squad before we started the tournament.
14:12But, yeah, I suppose sitting here knowing what the results have shown.
14:16Yeah, we've had some great performances from Freya and Danny, obviously, with the bat,
14:23taking the game on the last five, six overs.
14:28And, you know, Kempi bowling really well and sticking to her, I suppose, her skills and what she's worked on.
14:36I think the confidence that the bowling group has shown to keep changing their pace, you know,
14:41when the pressure's on, when you know someone's going to try and hit you out of the ground.
14:45Yeah, that's been really special to see.
14:48We're going to Fionn and then we're finished with Millie.
14:51Have you spoken at all about how sweet it might be to get some Ashes revenge tomorrow?
14:57No, no.
14:59I guess our team has come quite a long way since that Ashes tour.
15:07And, yeah, I think, you know, everyone knows what it's about.
15:11We're, you know, playing in a World Cup final at home at Lords.
15:16I guess the occasion's already massive and we're playing Australia.
15:21Yeah, I guess there's not really been any talk about the Ashes and, you know,
15:26trying to prove people wrong from that.
15:28I think we've done a lot of hard work since that tour to show where we are as a group.
15:34So, yeah, no, we haven't really spoken about that.
15:38OK, last one Millie.
15:42You, England, have had one of the most settled line-ups in this World Cup.
15:47How do you go about having something new for Australia so they don't know what to expect?
15:53Even with me missing out on three games?
15:57Yeah, I guess we've got a bowling group that has the skills to bowl anywhere.
16:06I mean, the batting line-up has been explosive at different moments,
16:10you know, in the power play or at the death or in the middle.
16:14I suppose it's two teams that have played against each other a lot
16:17and so we expect to know the opposition very well and they'll know us very well.
16:25So I guess when it comes down to it, it's about who can deliver their skills better on the day.
16:32But, yeah, I think the message has been to enjoy yourself
16:38and stick to the skills that we've been working on.
16:42You know, if we do need to go to a different plan, you know, for the bowlers,
16:45because they've been practising it throughout the tournament
16:48and will be ready to execute that on the pitch.
16:52So, yeah, I guess it's just about staying in the moment
16:54and knowing that we have, you know, plan B, C, D to turn to if we need to.
17:00Thank you, everyone.
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