4 March - Hamilton - England player Anya Shrubsole pre-match press conference
Reporter: As a swing bowler, how much have you found the conditions here in a couple of practice games to be conducive useful, and have you had a chance to really play under lights and see how the ball is kind of doing when conditions change in the evening?
Heather: We’ve obviously had a game - Second warm up game against South Africa with a little bit of rain around, which obviously, massively helps, I guess, get some movement through the air and things like that. I think the pitches at [inaudible 00:48] to Lincoln, were pretty good pitches. And that's, I guess what we're expecting here throughout New Zealand, but obviously with a bit of breeze around it cannot quite often obviously help – help seam and swing bowlers, and that's something we're kind of expecting a bit particularly early in the tournament. I haven't had an opportunity to go out here under lights just yet. We're obviously only flew into Hamilton yesterday, but we've got training session this evening. So we'll get a bit of a chance to see that and get used to fielding out here.
Reporter: And the news of Ash having to miss out because of COVID - does it feel like there was a little bit of inevitability to it or did it almost increase the anxiety a little bit around the fact that this could happen to any team?
Anya: I guess first and foremost, obviously, my thoughts go to Ash. I think no one wants anyone in any team to get COVID and have to isolate. So obviously, I can imagine it's pretty gutting for her. And hopefully will only miss a couple of games. So I guess first and foremost, I hope she's doing all right. And I think yeah, like you said, I think I would have been amazed if it was a COVID free tournament. You obviously fingers cross hope that. But yeah, I guess it just puts everyone on, on high alert. And you know that it's always a possibility - fingers crossed, there isn't too much of it around and we can have a really good tournament.
Reporter: After two warm up games against Bangladesh and South Africa how settled does the team feel in its plans and how you're going to approach this tournament?
Anya: Yeah, we feel in a good place - two really positive warm up games, everyone batters bowlers about timeout in the middle and, and got some runs and wickets under their belt, which is all you can ask for coming out of warm up games. So we're just going to places we can be to come out here tomorrow against Australia and get the tournament underway.
Reporter: The Ashes feel like a long time ago, has the team fully packed that and moved forward?
Anya: Yeah, absolutely. We have I think there's obviously no getting away from the fact that it was a really difficult tour. And we know particularly at the front end of the tour, we played some really good cricket and kind of stood toe to toe. I think, obviously those last two ODI’s weren't what we're about as a team. And I think that's one of the most disappointing things. You accept that you're going to lose sometimes, but you at least want to lose the way you want to play. And we went away from that a little bit. But like you said, we've had, we've had quarantines, we've had some time in Queensland warm up games. So I think that's, that's completely behind us. And we're just really excited to start our World Cup campaign.
Reporter: There's a lot of talk about Australia and their strengths and their form in one day cricket - just how does it feel because of the expectations placed on Australia?
Anya: I think we’ve obviously been the form team in world cricket over the last five years and so getting away from the fact that they’re favorites coming into this tournament. So I think in lots of respects, we don't really have anything to lose coming out here tomorrow. I think like I said, before, we showed in the Ashes if we play our best cricket, that we're really competitive, we just didn't win those key moments. And the beauty of a World Cup is they're all one off games. And we believe that if we play our best cricket on a one off day that will be really competitive.
Reporter: You look back about 2017 tournament – those were very special memories, why are World Cups so special?
Anya: Oh, most of the time they come around every four years - Obviously this one's been five years in the making and just the nature of the tournament, having eight teams and everything just kind of feels more basically and they're just so exciting to be a part of and to I guess be involved in a tournament on the global stage is what it's all about really.
Reporter: And just finally from me – the game from NZ and WI today – players taking the knee – will we be seeing a similar gesture from this England side?
Anya: Yeah so as an England side, we're going to take the knee before every game. It's something we feel really strongly about - the racism and any form of I guess segregation, anything like that isn't welcome in sport, and we obviously have kind of had a moment of unity in the Ashes with Australia and it's something that we've done back in England in all our home series so it's something that we'll be doing and we feel really strongly as a group that obviously is a sports people on the global stage we have a real platform that any kind of prejudice is not welcome in our game.
Reporter: My question is that there are two matches that Australia have played in the World Cup –[inaudible 05:38] matches what the ICC tournaments bring out the best out of these two teams and make you play the best game of your tournaments?
Anya: I think - like I said, if both teams play well I think they're two kind of relatively evenly matched teams and the games have seemingly gone down to the wire - like I said, the nature of World Cups is they're one off games and quite often they get quite close, so I mean for my own nerves hopefully it's not super close out there tomorrow but it wouldn't surprise me if it was.
Reporter: And this is not game related – in the [inaudible 06:14] if you remember, I just want to know what song that was.
Anya: Oh you want to know what song that was - No, it was Cleaning Out my Closet - she stitched me up – Heather Knight - we went to this kind of karaoke bar and she just put the song on and said off you go Anya- so yeah – it’s Eminem – I don’t think we can go near Eminem in a press conference.
Reporter: [inaudible 07:04] positive test. I mean, is there any issue – would you like to see tougher bubbles or what more can be done to stop players from getting Covid?
Anya: I mean, many of those things are way above my paygrade but having been involved in - it's really strict COVID Bubbles my answer would be no. Mentally they're really challenging and I think to ask players to do that over and over and over again just isn't sustainable. I think it's kind of the reality obviously – its been two years now COVID isn't going to go away and we have to find a way globally with governing bodies or whatever when they have series to make it work with a bit of a backdrop of COVID and like I said, I'm absolutely gutted for Ash that it's happened to her, but I do think it's inevitable and I don't think the answer is really strict bio secured bubbles because they're just not realistic over a long period of time.
Reporter: Just wanted to ask about the match around in the last half an hour - five years ago at Lord’s – where you were in the World Cup tournament [inaudible 08:35] from that moment to here and what potentially could be the next [inaudible}
Anya: I think obviously that was an amazing tournament to be a part of to be able to play in a World Cup at your home country- is something really special to be a part of and this is something all of the girls who are involved will never forget - I think obviously five years has passed a lot has changed I don't think what happened then will have any bearing on what happens now, teams players have all evolved and obviously desperate to come here and try and defend this title.
Reporter: [inaudible] Last time you played the World Cup match –
Anya: Look I’d obviously hope so. Otherwise I'm not sure there's a huge amount of point me being here if I don't think I'm obviously capable of taking wickets - but again like I said I think that has absolutely zero bearing on what happens here. They're amazing memories and amazing day to be a part of but this is five years later on and a fresh World Cup in a different country and yeah I'm just really excited to get out there and get going.
Reporter: Thank you