Nat Sciver-Brunt on egg-freezing, England captaincy and rainbow laces

The opportunity for Nat to go undergo fertility treatment is partly made possible by the ever-changing landscape of women’s sport, not just through the understanding of employers, but the greater financial rewards on offer.

Bought for about £320,000 by Mumbai Indians in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction of 2023, Sciver-Brunt is one of the highest-paid female athletes in the UK.

Earlier this year, when some of England’s tour of New Zealand clashed with the end of the WPL, Sciver-Brunt said money was a “factor” in her decision to remain in India.

Though she says by that point the “wheels were in motion” for the expensive egg-freezing procedure, she acknowledges there would have been a time in the fairly recent past that such a decision would have required significant financial planning.

The Sciver-Brunts, then Nat Sciver and Katherine Brunt, were once landlords in Loughbrough to three other England team-mates – Amy Jones, Fran Wilson and Beth Langston. With international players then on one-year contracts, Nat can recall asking the England and Wales Cricket Board for help with proof of future earnings to support mortgage applications.

Clashes between franchise leagues and international cricket are set to become more regular. Later this year, the Women’s Big Bash in Australia will be squeezed between the T20 World Cup and England’s tour of South Africa. England are yet to reveal how they plan to navigate the overlap, but Sciver-Brunt, who played for Perth Scorchers last season, says the Big Bash is “not a thing” for her in 2024.