“I first met Natalie when I was working at Loughborough University,” says former fast bowler Katherine. “She was trialling at the National Cricket Performance Centre there.
“She came in with an arm brace on because her elbow hyper-extends. Mark Lane, the England coach at the time, was trying to wind me up saying she could bowl faster than me. I thought ‘she’s not all that’. Laney’s wind-up worked, because I took notice.”
Katherine and Nat became housemates and business partners. They invested in a property and rented it out to England team-mates Amy Jones, Beth Langston and Fran Wilson. The group were so tight the other players nicknamed them ‘Little Mix’.
Whereas the rest could see the potential relationship developing, Katherine took her time.
“It’s not like we wanted to hide anything from anyone, it’s just that me and Nat didn’t really know either,” says Katherine. “We were and still are all so close, that I didn’t want to mess up any of that. It was me holding back.
“One day, I realised she was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Nat and Katherine went public about their relationship, engagement and eventual marriage. Last year, Nat had egg-freezing treatment, and they announced the birth of Theo, carried by Katherine, in April.
“We felt it was important to touch on subjects some people would find helpful,” says Katherine. “We cover a lot of difficult bases in the public eye, playing international sport, being gay, being women.
“We ticked a lot of boxes that touched areas where people could struggle. We felt if we could help people feel a little less uncomfortable, why not?”
With two huge life events – becoming a parent and becoming England captain – happening at the same time, there are simultaneous struggles at play.
Katherine was able to travel with Nat on England’s winter tours, but was too deep into the pregnancy to go to the Women’s Premier League (WPL) in February and March. As Katherine spent time in hospital, Nat was in India becoming the leading run-scorer and player of the tournament. If Katherine had gone into labour, Nat would not have made it home in time.
There was an initial plan for Nat to miss the West Indies series, but after England sacked Heather Knight, they needed a captain.
“Watching the WPL and how she dealt with what we were going though, that showed me she will be fine as England captain,” says Katherine.
“We know her for being calm, calculated and being able to pull off her best performances in the worst situations. For that alone, if there is anyone for the job, it is Nat.”
And Katherine?
“I’ll be looking away,” she says. “I have a distraction, which is good. I will be making sure Theo sees the first ball, so I can tell him he saw his mum’s first game as England captain.”
