England allrounder Nat Sciver on mangled pronunciations, her best friends in the team, and why Danni Wyatt often ends up making tea for everyone
Interview by Annesha Ghosh12-Apr-2018You are the only England player – male or female – to take a T20I hat-trick. And you stole Jenny Gunn’s thunder for her five-for. Tell us about it
Thankfully Jenny is my friend now, so I’m hoping she’s over it. It was unfortunate she didn’t get the Player-of-the-Match award because not everyone ends up taking five wickets in a T20. Luckily, I was just bowling straight, and they sort of missed it.Which of your two ODI hundreds in the World Cup last year is more special?
The first hundred is always very special, but my second one, against New Zealand, I thought was slightly better because the opposition were better, and when I went in to bat, we were kind of in a tough spot.Who handed you your maiden international cap?
My first game for England was an ODI in Louth against Pakistan. It was Charlotte Edwards. She was the captain at the time.What did you do with your first England shirt?
It’s in a bag somewhere in storage. I’m keeping all my shirts for future use – maybe some sort of memorabilia. Probably could be put up somewhere on the wall along with the World Cup shirt and the Ashes-winning shirt, which are in the same bag at the moment.Danni Wyatt runs out Nat Sciver in the WBBL, 2017•Getty ImagesIs there a reason you chose 39 as your shirt number?
It’s been 39 all through. I was given it when I was in the England Academy. I got stuck with that because I was happy to be given a number, really! And I’m happy with it, don’t want to change.You recently played a tri-series final against Australia that featured one of your Perth Scorchers team-mates: Elyse Villani. What was it like to play alongside Australian players like her and Nicole Bolton in the WBBL?
It was great fun. Both of them are very good girls. They welcomed me and made me feel at home. They are also immensely funny. Nicole does some great interviews, as you might have seen in the ODI series. They are a lot to live up to, comedically. I think I have to learn a wacky comment or two from them.And Meg Lanning, the Australia captain, will join you at Scorchers next season.
I think her experience will make a massive difference to our team. I was with her at the Melbourne Stars for a couple of years, and I was captained by her before, so hopefully, we’ll be able to work well again together.If you were to pick one current international as a team-mate in your Kia Super League franchise, Surrey Stars, who would it be?
Amelia Kerr from New Zealand would be a good person to have on your team. She is a young legspinner, she’s still learning her craft, but has good skills and good control. That sort of skillset in a T20 game can be hard to face.What was South Africa’s Marizanne Kapp like as a team-mate at Stars?
She is excellent for the team. I think I managed to get along with her quite well in the Stars. Her fiery character on the field is very different to her character off the field, actually. She is much more reserved and quiet. They are like two opposite ends of the spectrum. You’d like to ask her if she’s got any pet names for the two of them!Katherine Brunt, Nat Sciver, Beth Langston, Alex Hartley, Tammy Beaumont and Danni Wyatt at the 2017 PCA awards•Getty ImagesDo you have a nickname in the England side?
Well, not quite. Not anything very imaginative. The most imaginative so far has been Elyse Villani calling me “Scifter” in the Big Bash. I’d assume that’s how she meant to spell it.How painful is it for you to hear your surname being mangled all the time?
(Laughs) It’s something I’ve been experiencing all my life. I have not met that many people who can say it right the first time. Usually our team manager helps me out at the various grounds and makes sure the people know how to say it [It’s pronounced as shiver would be without the “h”]. Sadly, sometimes it still doesn’t work.Who was your sporting hero growing up?
David Beckham, because I used to play a lot of football. Any free kicks he’d score a goal from would sort of get stuck in my mind.Who’s your current favourite football player?
I don’t watch much football these days, actually. But it will probably be [Cristiano] Ronaldo. He’s ridiculous, isn’t he?Did you see the bicycle kick he scored a goal with against Juventus last week?
Yeah, I watched it. I have been practising my bicycle kick for a while now. Hopefully we can get football into our cricket warm-up so I can show off one of those.Who’s the most difficult batsman to bowl at?
Probably Meg Lanning. Even if you bowl at her stumps, she’ll hit it to third man. It’s very painful for all bowlers!Who’s the most difficult bowler you have faced?
Any bowler that bowls inswing, I find them more difficult.The most imaginative nickname Sciver thinks anyone has come up with so far fr her has been “Scifter”, by Elyse Villani [left]•Getty ImagesAn Indian player you’re always wary of facing – as a batsman or bowler?
Jhulan Goswami is the leading wicket-taker and they always look to her to get a wicket, so you don’t want to give it to her.What would you like to change in ODI playing conditions, if you had a chance?
I thought about this the other day. If you hit it five metres past the boundary line, you should get 12. The game is a lot about batters now, so it would be nice to have something for the bowlers too, but I think in the women’s game, having five fielders outside the ring again wouldn’t be beneficial. So I will go with the 12-run rule.Is there a rule change in women’s T20Is you reckon could enhance the format further?
There maybe could be a Supersub, who would be allowed to field or keep if you needed them to.Who is your best friend in the England squad?
Katherine Brunt. I live with her and Amy Jones and Beth Langston. And from the current touring side [in India], it would be Amy.”If you hit it five metres past the boundary line, you should get 12″•Associated PressWhat is your favourite cricketing memory off the field?
The celebrations after the World Cup win were excellent. We all were still in our playing kit, we slept with our medals. That was pretty cool.Who’s the most fun and entertaining England team-mate?
Danni Wyatt. Sometimes the team gets entertainment by laughing at her, but she herself is very funny as well. The coaches have this game where you get someone to say the letter “T” and that person has to make tea for everyone who wants it. Danni’s been caught by that a couple of times.Does she make good tea?
Yeah, you’ve got to give it to her. She makes some really good tea.Who’s the social-media addict of the team?
It has to be Tammy [Beaumont]. Have your seen her Instagram account? And all the crazy caption stuff. She’s constantly on. Amy Jones is the quietest one on social media.Which team-mate would you never want to be stuck in an elevator with?
Fran Wilson. She is a good friend of mine, but she loves to debate. She has these opinions about various different things, so I’d prefer not to be confrontational, especially in an elevator!What’s your most memorable wicket?
Probably getting Ellyse Perry out in the 2015 Ashes series, in the Cardiff T20I.Sciver plays the Natmeg during her hundred against New Zealand at the 2017 World Cup•Getty ImagesWhich is your favourite country to tour for cricket?
New Zealand. It’s such a beautiful country, and we’re lucky enough to travel around there often, get a few days off sometimes and see the sights.And your favourite holiday destination?
I really love the French Alps. Before I started playing professional cricket, I used to go ski there a lot. I’m actually looking forward to that after my retirement.How do you unwind after a long day of training?
I’m into a series called The Good Wife, on Netflix. I was watching it at home, but for some reason they took it off, but it’s available in India, so I’ll probably finish off the remainder of the episodes before heading back to England.Do you prefer to cook or to be cooked for?
I’d rather do the cooking.Tea or coffee?
I love coffee.What traits do you admire most in Jenny Gunn, Katherine Brunt and Heather Knight?
They are the rocks of our team, really.Jenny just played her 100th T20I game. No other man or woman has done that, so the kind of experience and calmness she brings are great assets.Katherine always will try her heart out for you and the team. You can’t find a fault in her effort and passion for the game.Heather is a great leader. She has really helped this team grow into one that can win World Cups.If you weren’t a sportsperson, what would you do?
I would probably be working at a bar, I think, because I wouldn’t know what else to do with my life (laughs). And if it were a job like that, I’d want to do it in London, because there are more opportunities there.What do you want to do after retirement?
I’m doing some property development, so I’ll continue with that maybe, and probably do some course to aid that, maybe on plastering and plumbingIf the Natmeg wasn’t called that, what would you like to name it?
I would call it a Sciv-shot or a Sciver-shot.Now that England are the defending champions in the 50-over format, what are your personal goals preparing for the World T20 in November?
Well, we’d love to do more of the same. It’s a different format and the kind where the game can go up and down a bit. But you have to try and be as consistent as you can be.
