Birthday special: Katherine Brunt – England’s relentless pacer for almost two decades
Katherine Brunt, the skiddy English fast-bowler, who has been playing for her national team for 17 years, was born on July 02, 1985. It is quite a cliche but cricket was indeed in her blood. She started playing the sport at a very young age when she would often go to the nets with her brother to the Barnsley club. Her father used to play for the club’s 2nd XI and the family had garnered some respect around the club.
Her exceptional talent and a knack for the game saw her play for Yorkshire at a very young age, as she represented the club in U-15 and U-17 matches. However, she took a break from the game as she felt she wasn’t enjoying it. Katherine had another huddle in front, her weight. She realised it was important for her to lose some of her weight in order to start performing well in cricket.
Career highlights
Over the next two years, she went through an exceptional weight transformation. It was so remarkable that her own teammates failed to recognise her at a glance when she turned up. In 2004, her career took a leap forward after her weight loss. She made her international debut in a Test match in New Zealand. She picked up three wickets in a drawn result. A year later, she made her one-day debut in the World Cup in South Africa.
Brunt had become a key member of the English team during the World Cup as they lost to Australia in the semi-final. Four months after the World Cup, Brunt’s performance in the Ashes helped her gain the attention of the entire cricket fraternity. She helped England win their first Ashes series in 42 years when she managed to pick up 14 wickets in two Tests. She also scored her maiden Test fifty during that series.
Since 2009, Brunt has remained the leading pacer of the English team, performing day in and day out. At the 2009 World Cup, she had taken six wickets from five games, an effort that played a part in England winning the tournament. A few months after that, she bowled a ‘once-in-generation’ spell against New Zealand in the final of the inaugural ICC Women’s T20 World Cup at Lords. In that game, she ended with figures of 3 for 6 and helped England to a win.
In the decade between 2010 and 2020, she became a regular for the England women’s team. Time and again, she was at the bowling mark with the ball, ready to deliver for her captains, first Charlotte Edwards and now, Heather Knight. During these years, there was a tremendous improvement in her batting as well, which made her contribute more to the team cause.
As of 2021, she has played 13 Tests, picking up 43 wickets at 23.58 and scoring 1014 runs at 14.91. Brunt has also played 123 ODIs, in which she has taken 155 wickets at 23.41. She also had 93 T20Is wickets at 18.90 from 89 matches in the format. She remains an important member of the England team as she turns 36, hoping to play a few more years of international cricket.
