New Delhi:
Women's cricket has revolutionised sport and social orders for a long time. Before Sachin Tendulkar became the first male player to hit an ODI double ton in 2010, Australia's Belinda Clark had achieved the feat in 1997 itself. Even when it comes to society, women players have been far more open about their relationships especially when it comes to same sex relationships. South Africans Dane van Niekerk and Marizanne Kapp, New Zealand pair Amy Satterthwaite and Lea Tahuhu are all married couples. Now, England women cricket team's Nat Sciver and Katherine Brunt have officially announced their engagement on social media.
Sciver made the announcement on her Instagram page by announcing, "Welcome to our wine and magazine party. #ISaidYes #Mrs&Mrs #Bridesmaids." The photo is of the duo seated together during the PCA Players' Award ceremony held in September.
Sciver and Brunt have been playing together for England since 2013. They have also played the Women's Big Bash League together for Perth Scorchers and are part of the Trent Rockets franchise for the upcoming The Hundred tournament.
However, in an interview with The Guardian, Brunt revealed that she had asked Sciver to be her girlfriend after England's glorious triumph in the 2017 ICC Women's World Cup final at Lord's. After 18 months, Brunt proposed to Sciver and she accepted. The England players were aware of the decision but they had not yet gone public with the announcement, with Brunt stating that convincing her parents was a tough task.
"They are quite Christian so it is not something that is done and that's why it has held me back. They don't believe in the way I choose to live my life, basically, so it has been quite difficult. Having to tell my parents was really difficult because I care a lot about them so it was something I put off for a long, long time. But as I have got older, I have seen sense and realised that it is not about that, it is about being yourself and living life properly," Brunt told The Guardian.
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The Brunt-Sciver engagement once again symbolises the power of women's cricket and how they are changing society for the better.
