ICC Women’s World Cup 2017: Don’t tend to pay attention to numbers, says Natalie Sciver

As England registered a healthy win over New Zealand in the ICC Women's World Cup 2017, most of the attention turned towards England's Natalie Sciver.

As England registered a healthy win over New Zealand in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017, most of the attention turned towards England’s Natalie Sciver, not just because of her innings, but also her shot named ‘The Natmeg’. While she was batting on 79, Sciver deliberately played a shot through her legs off a yorker. Although it is being speculated that she invented this shot, she is certainly not the first cricket to play the shot, while the shot is usually known as the ‘The Draw’. After the match, she said that she had some luck while performing the shot. “Everyone’s like: ‘Ah, so close to getting the wicket.’ I am like: ‘Hee-hee,’” she said. ICC WWC17, ENG vs NZ: Natalie Sciver Post-Match Press Conference

Speaking on her innings and records, he said, “I don’t tend to pay attention to the numbers. But my personal statistician – also known as my dad – told me. After the South Africa game [in which she needed eight runs and scored only two] he was like: ‘Nat, why didn’t you stay in a bit longer? You were eight runs away.’ ‘Sorry, Dad – if I’d have known that I would have stayed in.’” “Ally deserves credit because, as he always tells us, Robbo wasn’t a great batsman, was he?” she praises Mark Robinson, as reported by The Guardian. ENG vs NZ, ICC WWC17: Natalie Sciver, Tammy Beaumont steer England to semi-finals

She also said on how she handles the pressure on the field. “What helps,” Sciver says, “is you can back the person in front and behind you. When you’re out there in the middle, it’s not like: ‘What if I get out here? We’re doomed.’ There’s more trust with our batting group,” she said. “Technically I’ve worked a lot on playing straighter and getting confidence to play off the pads. Before, I thought: ‘Oh God, they’re going to bowl it straight and I’m going to have to block it, otherwise I’m going to get out.’ Now I have other options and belief to hit through the line. That’s been one of the major changes for me,” she added. ICC WWC 2017: Knight terms Sciver ‘Stokes of ENG’

Speaking on the criticisms, she said, “Criticism affects people in different ways, doesn’t it?” she says. “So I think you need to decide what’s best for you. I’ve always been on social media but I don’t read many articles. Even if it’s good, it doesn’t matter. People are going to write what they write and I find it best not to know what is being written so it doesn’t affect you either way.”

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