Sciver-Brunt's eclectic journey from Tokyo to England captain

"It's been absolute carnage. I don't moreover cognize really to picture nan past six months of our lives."

Katherine Sciver-Brunt is successful a edifice successful Canterbury and babe Theo has conscionable been passed to her woman Nat. It is 2 days earlier Nat's first crippled arsenic nan caller full-time England captain.

Nat will soon caput to training, successful nan evening and nether lights, to hole for nan first T20 against West Indies.

When Nat walks retired to flip nan coin connected Wednesday, she will do truthful arsenic only nan 4th imperishable England skipper this century.

She is nan woman calved successful Tokyo who became skipper of England. All-rounder, leader and mother.

For Sciver-Brunt, it is nan culmination of an eclectic journey. Her early years were shaped by nan negotiated profession of her mother Julia, now nan UK's ambassador to Japan.

Nat Sciver, arsenic she was then, went to schoolhouse successful Poland and nan Netherlands earlier ending her acquisition astatine Epsom College successful Surrey.

Izzy Westbury, who would go Middlesex captain, past a cricket writer and commentator, was 2 years supra Sciver-Brunt astatine The British School conscionable extracurricular The Hague.

"I thought I was nan tomboy, nan only woman that played successful nan shot team, past this small upstart popped up," Westbury tells BBC Sport.

"Not only was location different woman successful that sphere, but she was really good. She played hoops and tennis, but, successful position of her sporting career, it could person been shot alternatively of cricket."

For Sciver-Brunt, whose idol was David Beckham, location were shot tests pinch Chelsea earlier she joined Surrey.

"I had that glimpse into her playing athletics arsenic a young teenager, past I didn't spot her again until we were playing region cricket," says Westbury.

"When I saw her again, I thought: 'Oh, help.' She dislocated my digit pinch 1 of her screen drives. She deed it truthful hard, moreover then."

Sciver-Brunt played region cricket arsenic a 17-year-old and was picked by England 3 years later. Such was nan humble quality of nan women's crippled astatine nan time, her one-day world debut against Pakistan was astatine Louth Cricket Club successful Lincolnshire.

"Very quickly she became 1 of my favourite team-mates to bat with, chiefly because of her calmness," says erstwhile England batter Lydia Greenway, now nan nationalist selector.

"She ne'er sewage flustered by nan situation. It was besides her expertise to publication nan game. She astir apt doesn't get capable in installments for really bully she is tactically."

Making an belief connected nan field, and disconnected it.

"She's a spot of a hustler," adds Greenway. "You'll beryllium playing array tennis and each of a abrupt she's won 21-0. One of nan questions we regularly sewage asked was 'who is nan champion dancer?' and Nat ever came retired connected apical of that."

In 2016, England went done a gyration not dissimilar to nan soul-searching of nan past fewer months. Back past a T20 World Cup semi-final exit was nan catalyst for alteration and Sciver-Brunt was identified arsenic a cardinal constituent of nan new-look team.

Given nan caller questions England person faced complete their fitness, Sciver-Brunt's early relationship pinch then-coach Mark Robinson has further similarities to nan coming day.

"She was 1 of six players who came backmost not very fresh from nan Women's Big Bash," says Robinson. "One of my first dealings pinch her was addressing what had gone on. After that, she was a breeze to activity with."

Before Robinson took over, Sciver-Brunt had only erstwhile batted successful England's apical 5 successful a one-day international. Since then, she has ne'er been retired of nan apical five.

"It was beautiful evident she could beryllium personification special," says Robinson. "Mark Davis, nan erstwhile Sussex off-spinner and caput coach, came pinch america connected a circuit and was calling her Jacques Kallis. 'Kallis will get america immoderate runs today,' he would say."

For Sciver-Brunt, Robinson and England, everything built towards nan 2017 World Cup triumph connected location soil. While Tammy Beaumont and Anya Shrubsole produced stellar performances, it was Sciver-Brunt who captured nan imagination pinch a changeable she invented - nan Natmeg - jamming down connected a full-length transportation and hitting nan shot betwixt her legs.

"The only personification who took it personally was Ali Maiden, nan batting coach. He felt it was a method flaw that she sewage into a bad position and had nary prime but to squirt it retired betwixt her legs," says Robinson.

"Ali spent each nan clip pinch her hitting straight, holding her balance. He wasn't happy that each nan activity he was doing was being undone because erstwhile she sewage it incorrect she was lauded arsenic a leader for inventing a caller shot. For Nat, it was h2o disconnected a duck's back."

The World Cup was won connected a historical time astatine Lord's, nan top infinitesimal successful English women's cricketing history. It was astatine that constituent Katherine asked Nat if they could beryllium much than friends.

"I first met Natalie erstwhile I was moving astatine Loughborough University," says erstwhile accelerated bowler Katherine. "She was trialling astatine nan National Cricket Performance Centre there.

"She came successful pinch an limb brace connected because her elbow hyper-extends. Mark Lane, nan England coach astatine nan time, was trying to upwind maine up saying she could vessel faster than me. I thought 'she's not each that'. Laney's wind-up worked, because I took notice."

Katherine and Nat became housemates and business partners. They invested successful a spot and rented it retired to England team-mates Amy Jones, Beth Langston and Fran Wilson. The group were truthful tight nan different players nicknamed them 'Little Mix'.

Whereas nan remainder could spot nan imaginable narration developing, Katherine took her time.

"It's not for illustration we wanted to hide thing from anyone, it's conscionable that maine and Nat didn't really cognize either," says Katherine. "We were and still are each truthful close, that I didn't want to messiness up immoderate of that. It was maine holding back.

"One day, I realised she was nan champion point that ever happened to me."

Nat and Katherine went nationalist astir their relationship, engagement and eventual marriage. Last year, Nat had egg-freezing treatment, and they announced nan commencement of Theo, carried by Katherine, successful April.

"We felt it was important to touch connected subjects immoderate group would find helpful," says Katherine. "We screen a batch of difficult bases successful nan nationalist eye, playing world sport, being gay, being women.

"We ticked a batch of boxes that touched areas wherever group could struggle. We felt if we could thief group consciousness a small little uncomfortable, why not?"

With 2 immense life events - becoming a genitor and becoming England skipper - happening astatine nan aforesaid time, location are simultaneous struggles astatine play.

Katherine was capable to recreation pinch Nat connected England's wintertime tours, but was excessively heavy into nan gestation to spell to nan Women's Premier League (WPL) successful February and March. As Katherine spent clip successful hospital, Nat was successful India becoming nan starring run-scorer and subordinate of nan tournament. If Katherine had gone into labour, Nat would not person made it location successful time.

There was an first scheme for Nat to miss nan West Indies series, but aft England sacked Heather Knight, they needed a captain.

"Watching nan WPL and really she dealt pinch what we were going though, that showed maine she will beryllium good arsenic England captain," says Katherine.

"We cognize her for being calm, calculated and being capable to propulsion disconnected her champion performances successful nan worst situations. For that alone, if location is anyone for nan job, it is Nat."

And Katherine?

"I'll beryllium looking away," she says. "I person a distraction, which is good. I will beryllium making judge Theo sees nan first ball, truthful I tin show him he saw his mum's first crippled arsenic England captain."