England Women cricketer Katherine Brunt flies to New Zealand tomorrow knowing that her ongoing back problem is a 'ticking timebomb' which could end her illustrious career at any time.
The 29-year-old multiple World Cup winner from Dodworth has twice defied doctors who told her she could not bowl fast again due to prolapsed discs in her back which required surgery.
The former Barnsley CC youngster said: "I have been told there's a 70 per cent chance of it happening a third time and, if it does, I will have to retire. As I get older, I might be thinking about having children and I won't be fit enough to carry them or raise them if I continue to play after another prolapsed disc. I could potentially end up in a wheelchair if I don't look after myself. "It's a ticking timebomb but I'm doing everything I can to make sure that I play for as long as I can."
Brunt is hoping to continue playing for England until the 2017 World Cup in this country but might carry on after that as a Twenty20 specialist in the new women's leagues which are being set up in Singapore and Australia. For now, her focus is on the trip to New Zealand followed by the home Ashes series in the summer. "It's probably the biggest summer we have had," said Brunt, who has 171 wickets in 128 games for England across all formats and has been their player of the year three time."
"Every ball of the Ashes will be streamed on the ECB website and there will be ball-by-ball commentary on the BBC's Test Match Special.
"It's been a long winter with no away tour but I've done a lot of strength and conditioning work. I feel the strongest I have felt for a long time. I have also worked on my bowling technique and got a lot of overs under my belt in training. "I came into the last two tours undercut so it is nice to feel robust and strong at the moment."
Brunt no longer lives in Barnsley but came back to Dodworth over Christmas and was still training. "I was back from Christmas Eve until December 28. She said: "I went for the traditional Christmas Day run with my dad. "It was really nice to come home to Barnsley."
Also back in his home town over the festive period was England women's head coach Paul Shaw. He grew up in the Oakwell area, played and coached at Barnsley CC and now lives in Jump. Shaw said: "I am in London and Loughborough three or four days a week most of the time then I am out of the country on tour several times a year. So it was really nice to spend some time with my family over Christmas. "I had a couple of weeks back in Barnsley to recharge the batteries. I even saw the super Reds, Barnsley FC, against Leyton Orient (a 2-0 win on December 20)."
Since taking charge of the women's team, Shaw has led them to back-to-back Ashes wins and the World Cup final. His long-term goals are to win the next World Cup and get the side back to number one in the world but he is currently preparing for the Kiwis.
"We're all really looking forward to the tour of New Zealand," said Shaw. "It's always tough to play them on their home turf and they desperately need wins. We'll be looking to play some positive cricket and take our game to the next level."
Shaw and Brunt have worked together for more than a decade since their time at Barnsley CC and the coach says she is still a top fast bowler.
"A fit and firing Katherine Brunt will always be the spearhead of our attack. "She has had time to work on her all-round game and her fitness."
The team fly to New Zealand tomorrow and, after some warm-up games, play their hosts in three One Day Internationals on February 11, 13 and 15 in Mount Maunganui. They will then play two Twenty20 internationals at Whangarei and a third in Lincoln where they will then finish the tour with another two ODIs.ꆱ
