It's a case of music vs momentum as England's women's cricket team face an unexpected hurdle ahead of their T20 World Cup showdown with Australia on Sunday. Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt has revealed that her bowlers are itching to get down to business, but will be forced to put their warm-up routines on ice for 30 minutes while pop sensation Rita Ora takes centre stage at Lord's.
The Women’s T20 World Cup closing ceremony is scheduled to kick off between 2:30pm and 3:00pm, leaving England's bowlers with a truncated window to get in some essential practice before the final. Normally, they'd be able to hone their skills on the main ground during this time, but Ora's performance will see them relocated to the Nursery Ground – usually reserved for net sessions.
This development is causing more than a few raised eyebrows among the England camp, with Sciver-Brunt admitting that some players were 'a bit down' when they heard the news. She explained, "People like to bowl before the game on one of the bow through wickets. We had a few chins down [when we found out]."
Australia's captain, Sophie Molineux, seemed more sanguine about the situation, joking that her team would 'evacuate the dancefloor' if Ora was on hand to perform.
As it stands, England face a daunting task in taking down the reigning champions, who have dominated their encounters in white-ball World Cup finals. Australia hold a 6-0 record against England in these showpieces and are on the cusp of securing a record-extending seventh T20 crown – a feat that would cement their status as one of cricket's greatest teams.