Katherine Brunt prepared to reach breaking point to join Commonwealth ‘gods’

Katherine Brunt relished her return to England’s Twenty20 team and admitted she is willing to reach breaking point if it means winning a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games.

The 37-year-old made only her second international appearance of the summer in the opening T20 match of the series against South Africa and returned career-best figures in the format of four for 15.

It helped restrict the tourists to 111 for nine, which was easily chased down with five overs to spare thanks to Sophia Dunkley’s rapid 59 off 39 balls.

England have wrapped up the multi-format series against South Africa by a 10-2 score with two T20s to spare, but the focus is already on the Birmingham Games, which get under way on July 29 and will see women’s cricket take centre stage at Edgbaston.

“I honestly feel like bar this game I have played one game this year and because I have had such a long build-up and a good amount of time off, I have hyped this series up a bit much, so it does feel great to be back,” Brunt admitted having last played a T20 for England back in January.

“Oh yeah, I don’t think anyone has stopped thinking about the Commonwealth Games from when we were first told we would be in.

“It sounds corny, but growing up watching people in the Olympics – I know it is not the Olympics, but it feels like the Olympics – with medals and people on podiums, I just adored those people and thought they were gods.

“To be like around those people and feel a part of what they are doing, who they are, that is what my dreams were made of and I never thought it would happen. It is quite weird and I am so grateful at the age I am to still be here and be a part of it.”

Brunt retired from Tests earlier this summer to concentrate on white-ball cricket