Under The Lid - Inside Pro Cricket Podcast

Mischief Managed! – Under The Lid With Tammy Beaumont

Join Jack Brooks and Katherine Sciver-Brunt for Under The Lid - Inside Pro Cricket Podcast - with special guest, England's Tammy Beaumont..

Tammy discusses growing up in a cricket family, her franchise cricket and WPL aspirations and has more than a tale or two to tell about Brunty.

Tell us what you think using the #UnderTheLid hashtag on socials or email hello@underthelid.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Duration:: 1h 5m
Broadcast on:: 09 Aug 2024
Audio Format:: mp3

It's my specialist provision in the test match on the lid on the short leg, so I can lead it mate. It's the best player in the world, my nutty because our baby rhino, tell me this is illegal, who for the age it is. Hello and welcome to Under the Lid, the pro cricket show episode 19, I'm Jack Rooks. I'm a Catherine Silverbrant, feels like 1900 and 1000s and millions, isn't it? It's flying, it's flying but it's every cricket show. As always, this podcast is brought to you in partnership with the PCA and the cricketer, considering within the middle of the 100, who better to welcome on than one of the stars of last year's edition, and my long-term mate and friend, Tammy Beaumont. She's a superstar, aren't she? Can't wait to get chatting with Tammy. What's happened the last week? It feels like a million one things and also I can't remember anything that's happened but I know I've been coaching a lot with Surrey in the metro bank, I've had a little bit of club cricket. You can't remember any of your normal life because it's just overtaking with coaching and children. I'm hardly at home and when I'm at home it's literally just wiping nappies, napping with the baby and then just chatting to you for however long it takes and listening to what exciting things you're doing, trashing owlsies, adopting puppies, commentating, wearing fashionable gears on TV. Yeah, I wore a rogue shirt this time, I'm not going to lie. It went down well though, tried, I do try sometimes actually, not really. It's quite odd, you know, you should go one of our best mates. She obviously works with beauty and sky and everyone, it seems. And she has a new outfit every episode I guess and she rents it and then has to do an Instagram post of what company it's with, that's the dream I think, that's the one. That's going to be you, isn't it? I mean, it ought to be, but I might have to wear it better than each because she does wear it well, don't she? She's a supermodel Isha, she's great. Anyway, I've just gone way off kilter there, but yeah, we're talking about puppies, took her for her first injection today, went well, so she's very healthy and good looking pretty dog. She's got long gangly legs at the minute because she's reaching the old three month spot and they also had to host the Rockets annual barbecue to have 30 people round. Will you all the barbeque for your cooking? Um, yes, actually, I didn't do, I left that, we've got about five Aussies in the team. Well, there's three players and then two staff and they obviously hog the barbie. So we stuck them on there because they loved that and then in that we're on salads. Pigeon hold in the Aussies, you do the barbie, we'll do everything else. Yeah, and then I set up like a golf thing in the back garden. It was great. They were teeing off balls into the reservoir. Excellent. No neighbors here. Oh, wicked. Literally in the middle of nowhere. I thought, well, it sounds like you've had a great week, but what I'm interested about and excited to hear is from Tammy Beaumont, but just before we get Tammy off, remember listeners, you can send in any feedback or questions we're using the hashtag under the lid or emailing us at hello@underthelid.co.uk. So what could you tell us about Tammy? Well, what isn't there to say about Tammy? She's a legend already. She's made her international debut in 2009, Don Quixie years ago. She's just 18 and she's gone on to play over a hundred ODIs, over a hundred T20s or a hundred exactly. I think it was. And last year, she became the first woman to score a century in the 100 against us. And the first English woman to register a double ton, that must have been pretty good. She's also, this is a funny bit, only the second English woman. So English, regular, second woman in the world, and fourth English player as in Men's and Women's to hit an international century in all three Ormats, decent. No, she's a proper superstar and very impressive records. I'm sure she can talk us through every last ball of all of those hundreds as well, particularly the one against... Were you playing in the game when she got the 100 in the 100th century in the 100th? Unfortunately. And she's also, she was named the Cinched PCA Women's Player of the Year last year, which was for the second time in her career, having previously won it in 2016. She is certainly a modern day legend of the England women's cricket team. But there'll hopefully be a lot more to her than just cricket as well. I'm looking forward to hearing some of the thoughts on the game and life in general. And someone heard stories from an England changer and involved in my host who is giggling nervously. Or from my wedding. Or from my wedding, or any party, whatever you want to dish the dirt on. Right. I think we need to get under the lid. Here she is. Tammy Tillie Bobot. Hey, Kathy. Thanks for having me on, guys. Hello, lady. Hey, Tam. Thanks for coming in to under the lid. Well, it's my specialist position in the test match under the lid on the short leg. So yeah, great to be on board. Got a lot of pressure. I'm dealing with two media superstars now, two Sky Sports behemoths. Yep. No, don't worry. You'll get yourself on. Yeah, we'll get you in the pod. Talk to you. Thanks for radio. Thanks for radio. Well, we could do that as well. I'd like a bit of that. I can dress like a scruff a bit like right now. Well, so we can't start this without talking about last year, just because it's the most burnt in the memory, obviously, last summer, the ashes. And you doubled ton, obviously, in the test match where I'm very jealous that you played Trent Bridge never ever got to play that. And obviously winning both white ball series, which everybody seems to forget because obviously we lost the ashes. We drew them. We drew them. We drew, sorry. I mean, it feels it felt like a lot. So how do you reflect on last year, personally? Yeah, pretty good year, I think, to get probably to the standout moments of the summer off my own bat was really pleasing. I think other than that probably a little bit inconsistent at times, but yes, certainly some massive highlights. Yeah, I always look back at that double 100 with a lot of pride, but actually it's also a tough one because I mean, it didn't actually win the test. We went on to lose the test and, you know, me, Cathy, I'm a perfectionist, I'm kicking myself, I'm only getting 20 in the second hits. Yeah, if you could have just, but even if you just shared them 100 in both, would you still be satisfied? Oh, no, no, no, no, it's always the way, isn't it? Yeah, I was watching your batting because it went on a long time. And me and... Well, it's not the slowest level, 100 in women's tests. No, it actually wasn't. It definitely wasn't, but me and Callum were watching in the hospitality for the times I got to just pop in there and he was a nervous wreck and he doesn't normally drink and he was having a cup of... Well, between him and my dad, they are the worst watchers while I'm batting. So I died for years, I was just not moved while I'm batting and then almost the minute I get out, you see him tolling off to the toilet. So I can't imagine how he'd go for the entire test match, but actually, I think the funniest thing of the whole test, I was tee on day three, I think, or lunch or tee on day three, I can't remember which one, but I had literally just broken the record for the highest score by an English woman, I can't remember what it was, it wasn't 200 anyway, it was like 109 or something. And I come out for tee and I'm there five minutes early, ready to walk back on and my mum, dad and Callum, my fiance at the time, my now husband were getting interviewed by the BBC, by Emps, on the outfield and I was just like, "What are you doing?" Without swearing, I was like, "As in, you are getting off the pitch, like this is embarrassing." But actually, what's more hilarious is watching back the interview and Callum may have had six or seven beers before that, but he really did carry it because mum and dad got massively camera shy and we're just like, "Yes, yes, it's very proud, very proud." And that was it and it was like dead air, it was very funny. Well, at least he did his bit, without the beer it might not have been so good, so, you know. Were you 90 odd overnight? No, actually, I was batting with your natty, I was a hundred not out overnight. I actually remember being, so it was obviously that was the end of day two, been in the field all day and then we got them out in the second session and I remember saying to Nat, I'm actually a bit nathered like, "Can you take the strike, I'm not really sure I'm concentrating, I'm zoning out here." And she was like, "No, Tam, come on, get on strike, switch on, give me a bit of a slap round the face," like not literally. And I'm really glad she did actually because obviously then I was a hundred not out overnight and not like 94 and not sleeping, so yeah, hold on, Natty. Oh, you might have got out laps of concentration. Yeah, who knows? Hold on, Natty. I'll remind her to slap you. I've been 90 odd night, not out overnight, but I was so knackered from batting for longer than an hour that I actually wasn't that bothered. Fair enough, fair enough. But I guess you should be used to getting into 90s and be like, "Yeah, it's just another knock, isn't it?" Surely not. Yeah, I don't know. Not in a Nash's test match, I don't reckon. Not when it would be your first test match 100 as well. Yeah, fair enough. So that mean more to than any other 100? I think not at the time, probably when I finish it, will do. I think at the time for me, the whole thing was about getting on par with them, so they'd got for 70 in the first innings, so I almost didn't care what score I got. I just cared what the team got and about trying to level them in the first innings. I think that some of my best innings have been when we've almost been dictated to by the Aussies in the field, and then I'm riled up going, "No, they're not having this all their own way," and I kind of come out with an absolute bit between my teeth and I'm going to show them and stick it back on them kind of attitude. That's what we're very alike in that way. I think some of my best batting performances ever have been when Englander either were out of it, or we're at Yorkshire, and it's like 30 for six. You were 30 for six, but a lot of them are like Yorkshire, Catherine. Your dad prepared the wickets at Barnsley, making sure they're nice green seamers, so you'd get a lot of wickets. Oh, Mickey, some people know my secrets from there. No, I was speaking of how similar we are, Cathy, as I'm coming on, I felt like I had to mention all the battles we had over the years, either in the nets or into team games. Do you remember that period when you used to make our own teammates cry? Wow. Do you know what, I'd had a slight nightmare with Nat about this earlier. I said, "I wonder how much time he's just going to go about how much you have." No, you weren't. It was just like, you just didn't necessarily, like, after, I remember that, and then we had a chat and it was like, right, Catherine, we're always going to be put on different teams when we do into team games. You can have a go at me, I can have a go at you, we can just shout at each other, we can, if we want to get in the battle, we go at each other, and then we'll walk across the line and we'll go have a drink together and we'll be fine, but stop picking on the people that don't like it. We're just trying to teach him how to be like you, Tammy. Yeah, obviously. That's awesome. Are you two quite fiery and chatty? I know you're quite fiery, Brantir, I've seen, but you always seem to have a smile on your face, Tammy. Is there a lot of chat between you two or just in general, you two in the opposition? I used to chat a bit, but I think the stunt mics have put an end to that. Can't get caught out anymore. No, I like to play on a smile on my face, but I think at the same time, I really want to win and I'm very competitive and love getting in that battle with a bowler. And when it's challenging, kind of really getting stuck in, and Kathy was probably one of the biggest in that, even in the net, she'd be celebrating her shipping on the front pad. In fact, to be honest, she starts appealing before you've even let it hit the middle of your bat, let alone if it, when she bowls a wobble, she's already half appealing, and then even if you middle it, she'd be like, "Ah, every time." When you... And it was worse at that. When you let go of it and you know it's on the right line and you only just need it to nibble, and it nibbles and you're like, "Ah," and then Tammy gets an inside engine and you're like, "B*ck," and it's going to take another hundred balls in the nets, but we just had like, I don't know, I would like to think that both of us created a great player within each other. There's no way that didn't happen, because I've voted Tammy and Tammy to face me for over a decade in the nets, and we always, always got put together. It may be her all the time, and I used to be like, "I'd come over to the nets and see the schedule." I'd be like, "Ah, every time, I must have done that, I don't know, a hundred thousand times, because I just knew it was going to be a hard day." So then I had to just get used to having a hard day. There's no like tailenders in there for me with a new ball, it was always Tammy, and she is so good and so relentless that these battles would just happen. Silent ones, they get me wrong, they weren't like, "We don't speak." There was like, noises, but it was just, you know, intense, and that's the way training should be. It should be like how you play, and that's how we used to train, and that would definitely set me up in a good way for a proper game. That's why Ash's World Cups, being in the sh*t didn't bother us, honestly, it didn't. Yeah, no, I think the hardest stuff was happening. Yeah, right, because I think that's the thing, it was like you got the best out of each other. You knew you could not have an off day if Catherine was charging in at you. You knew you were properly up against it every single time, and you had to be switched on. You had to know your skills, and yeah, I think that helped when you then come up against your other teams that maybe weren't quite as in your faces as our baby rhino. But then I reckon there were days where you kind of, when it happened so much between us, there were days where you kind of wanted that. If somebody gets in the battle with you, you play better. Oh yeah, even now, like, if we play against, if we play against numpties or they don't give you anything, it's almost like, Oren, you don't engage, do you know what I mean? It doesn't bring the best out of you. I don't feel my secrets, Catherine, if I start going to your favourites, for me, it's not for them. No, it's, no, definitely, I still want that now, I feel like for me playing my best, it's when you're really challenging yourself in the nets and almost training hard, playing easy, and yeah, when Catherine's not there anymore, sometimes I have to find someone else to provide that. Well, there's one thing people don't know about time is, we'll be in the nets right and there'll be spicy AF, and normal fancy it, we'll be like, put the ball away, the Duke's ball, that was when we were messing about with it at the end, at the end of my career. Or just any new ball on a green seam and the seamers are coming downhill, and even I'm bowling quite quick that day. And you're all bowling massive no balls in the nets? Yeah, massive no balls. And I'm like, I'm like, I'm gonna see this one out, coach, our buttons are right today, I'll, if you have one tomorrow, some throws. And Tammy's like waltzing up, and she's like, I'll go. So she walks in, and then somebody backed out of the next session, then it fancy it, Texas is seaming everywhere, and Tammy then walks into the other net and goes, we'll I'll carry on, and she goes from one, that's about a four hour net against rapid feral seam bowling. Yeah, it may be easier than that, though, kind of after that, when you get out in the country. I guess. She is, it's like the harder it is to, more tell me what's to do it, and I'm like, no thanks. But that's why you come back and I can't. Transfer to runs, though, hasn't it? And talking of more runs, you're still the only female player to score 100 in the 100. Yeah, I reckon I'm like, I like to say I'm the only one that scored 100 in four formats, but I don't think that quite cancels it. We'll give you it on this one, we'll give you it here. What I want to ask, seeing as you were playing against a certain Kathy, so the run, um, what was your favourite shot offer in that? You, you weren't playing Kathy, you were injured. Oh, she's not playing. She's not. Oh. That's why she got 100. I weren't playing. Oh, okay. Yeah. That was it. I'd like torn my hip. That'll be one of them. Yeah, honestly, that's the only reason why, only reason why. Tammy hit a ball on about 40, he pounded it flat to square leg and all it did was hit our shoulder in the chest. We did go on a little, you know, to the bar, to a pub the night that night and I sense the girls that kind of buy your drink. Oh, I've just got a hole in it. He was, yeah. He was in a bit of work. But that was the only opportunity. The world of pain at that point anyway. At what point in that innings, did you feel like maybe you're on something special here or did you just think, "No, I've got a job to do. I'm not going to think about getting 100 even when you got into the 80s or 90s?" Honestly, I can't really remember it. I just remember every time I was batting at one end, which is hitting towards the tap at supplier gardens, I was just like, "Use the wind, hit it up, just hit it up." And I must have hit about 75 runs over extra cover, which is always a good sign because this year I can't do it at all. So the fact that I could just lift it up there, it was great. So no, I had no idea. I think for me, I realized I'd had a great day when Brian Smith was on. I was already on 100, but I just tried to switch it. I've never done it in my life, and I just tried to switch it, and I middled it through putting it before, and I was like, "Well, it's just when it's your day, isn't it?" It's your day. Yeah. Campbell, keep going. Couldn't do it. Couldn't do any wrong. At the middle, every ball it felt. It's meant to be absolute carnage. Yeah, well, when you're playing a card, if you just can't keep whacking it straight, haven't you? I'm sorry, it's possible. Yeah, for sure. I'll get your runs. For sure. In the shortest format, it's probably been quite difficult for you to be out of the England team, I imagine. I've only touched on it before in interviews and things, but how good did it prove that you've still got it off the back of that 100, and is it still something that plays on your mind? Trying to get it back in now. Yeah, I guess for the last year or so, it had been a bit of a point to prove, a bit of a sore subject, and yeah, I did reinvent my game a little bit at the beginning of the last season to give it kind of that another role of the dice, and be a bit more dynamic and explosive, and I guess getting that 100 and 100 and also improving my strike rate quite a lot in last year's 100 was really kind of satisfying and a proud moment. And then obviously, yeah, then going to the New Zealand and playing in three of those T20s was something I'm really proud of, kind of having not played for two years in an international T20 before that, and obviously getting my 100th cap. Within that was pretty cool, but I think at the same time, looking at it realistically now, my appreciate her per chance really well in that series scoring an actually incredible 90, and she's continued that form kind of coming back, and yeah, I think that the squad that they got picked for New Zealand looks really strong and got a lot of depth, so yeah, it's really tough to get in there, and there's just so many top-order players that are playing well, and I haven't probably played that well in the shortest format this summer, so it is what it is. Yeah, it's hard when there's so many all-rounders now, isn't there? Tell me you're going to have to bring out the weird bowling that you've got. I should have found a picture of my bowling when I was 10. Terrifying. I think that would get me out every time. Oh, I just want those to handle it. Can I bowl? Be about 41 mile an hour. Yeah. What do you bowl? Well, I would bowl like off-spin now, there's no mystery to it, it doesn't turn, but I used to bowl big hooping in swingers, I'm going to try and find this for you. You can ask for something else, but it's worth it. It's like off the wrong leg. Well, no, it's very confusing. I don't have, my front foot is not on the floor when I release the ball, which is kind of yish. It's great, Jack. It's something worth it. I kind of wait to see this. Are you coachable? Are you going to be coachable? Absolutely not. Oh, and this is probably like the good part of my story. I used to go to Kent when I was like 11, 12 in the winter, we had every Tuesday night, my brother and I went for a net and we were split up on age groups, and the person in charge of my net, eight weeks, was Martin Sagas, so obviously now an empire played for England. Okay. Yeah. Excellent. So if Martin Sagas, who played for England as a Seema, couldn't fix it. No. There you go. Can you see this? Oh, my God. Yeah. I'll get you another one. Also, very, very small. Oh, yeah. I was tiny. Okay. This is how high I had to throw it. Is how high I had to bowl it. Throw it. It had to bowl it. The ball is here. Where is it? There. Elevation, yeah, yeah, cook or made on you, though. This is what I mean. This is what I would get me out every time. It's quite deep. I reckon. Way above the high line. Moon balls. Yeah. By the moment. Moon balls. They are there. Do you know what? In the beginning of your career, Tammy, they would have been lethal. You know, back when we're talking like hairdo haze, Aaron Brondall, like, dizzy from knots. She did it both ways. I didn't know what she was doing after six pints as well. Those were the days we used to play five days, counting champs down in Taunton. Back to back. 50 over cricket. That would be a tough game. That's a tough game. Right. So you've played in a bit of talking about short format. Played in quite a few franchise now. You have actually played, obviously, England is, we have T20 cricket, 100 cricket. I should have played in Australia in a big bash, quite a lot, done really well there and then Pakistan. What do you sort of make a franchise cricket for you? Like, not necessarily for everyone, but for you is it more of a top up your purse strings situation or do you go, she love it or you want to play in different conditions? Oh, you just want to get out of England and have some sunshine like are a bit of everything. Yeah. A bit of everything. Well, just franchise cricket is actually something I've probably struggled with over the years in some ways because I think I get my best out of myself when you feel like you're buying into a team that's almost more than the sum of its part. It's kind of on a journey. It's worth something. And actually being the overseas player that kind of rocks up for cash, I really struggle with it. Like, it doesn't get me going. It's like, no, I want to be there to be part of something and actually, obviously, it wells fire in the hundreds. That's almost what we've tried to do a little bit is buy into it being a real team a little bit more than just a franchise that you rock up for and we're probably a little bit lucky in that we do obviously represent a country. We represent Wales and I feel like the ECB, you know, the way people see it, you almost forget that it's England and Wales and it's kind of something we're trying to really connect to Welsh cricket, the Morgan cricket. And I feel like a lot more at home here. I think I keep joking that I've been an adopted Welsh woman now, but I really, I have definitely struggled in the past to feel that connection to where you're playing, particularly if you kind of go in for a year and then the next year you're collecting colours from another team again. Well you are captain and I guess you can control that narrative and that vibe. So that's, I think that captaincy has almost sort of brought the best out of you in that way. Are you loving it? Yeah, I think, I think I do enjoy the captaincy side of it, the getting to be involved in the environment, the creating of the culture, the decision making, I think I probably always stuck out with someone who's always got an opinion, probably say it at the wrong time sometimes, but actually I hope if you speak to any of my, my teammates here at the Welsh fire, they'd say that, you know, I'll do listen and try to empower them to make their own decisions, particularly like the bowlers, you know, if they want to feel that I'm not going to force them to try something else, but I just hope that we can have those kind of conversations. But yeah, I'm certainly loving it at the minute, but I guess it's always easier when you win it. Yeah, I'll get some feedback from Albev. Oh, Bev, Bev, Bev Langston is my favourite player this year, she's like, she's a last minute replacement with injury, but she has just been just brought so much to the team already. I live with her for a year, she's just silent assassin, but when she comes out with something, you're just laughing and it must stomach hurts from laughing so much at what she comes out with. She doesn't speak much, but when she does, it's worth listening to in it. Oh, absolutely, absolutely. What about IPL then, oh, should I say WPL? Obviously Devastated have missed that whole era, but what about you? Is it something you aspire to do before you call it a day or anything? Oh, I mean, I've been in the draft. Surely. I've been in the draft. I'm not retiring. I'm in the draft. No, you know what I mean. But I think realistically, there's not a chance I'm going to get picked up. There's only so many overseas players, spots. And once either the world's best out-and-out bowler or out-and-out batter or rounders, and at the moment, I'm not one of the best opening batters, and you can probably get a local girl to do just a good job. So yeah, I think I would love to do it, but I think realistically, it's kind of a bit too late for me and my career. Well there's been some, you know, people who have got opportunity like Tara Norris and Katherine Bryce and Isabel Wong, who's not even playing for England anymore, like people are still getting opportunity. And India is strange that way in that it's like, no one knows what they love when they love it. Like they love traditional cricket and the way it's played, the straight bat, the gorgeous looking cover drives, VRAT COVID, like to a tee, like they love that. And if that means only a hundred strike rate, they still love you. They're not necessarily looking for these 200, 250 strike rate players or bowlers. So it's, it does, it is mind boggling sometimes some of the selections I've ever seen, like Mitchell Stark going for so much money. And yet we all knew he wasn't going to thrive in that competition because it's not a place where you, with his skillset can thrive, like he played not very good cricket throughout the whole tournament and then had an incredible final, didn't he? Yeah, for sure. But like it's just one of those rogue things where they just love it or they don't. It's true. I think drafts and auctions are funny things. I think it's great to see the, the workings of them. I think even in, you know, the women's, the women's 100 draft last year, you can see people going for money that you're like, no way, like they've gone for 30 or whatever. But it's, it's how you, it's, if you need that specific skill set that year, then you get overpaid by a mile to get the best, best, best one available. And yes, and I guess Stark's team needed a bowler and they, they just had to keep putting up the title for it, but I think they can afford it and not have the idea about it. It is, it's, it's, there's always that one story and I was like Annabelle Silver, the last one. And it was like, she was the last good world class all rounder left, so then it became a battle and had it not been, you know, other teams didn't need her. She would have gone for a third of that. But so it is a funny old thing, isn't it, watching, watching your mate just go for sale. It's weird, you feel like, you feel like a piece of meat or something, just like, you know, like being bought, like, or like a house or something, you're like, am I, am I property all of a sudden? If we've gone back to end women, we're just honed? I don't know, it's just a bit, a weird feeling. Hey, Tammy, I'm here for it, my wife's doing all right. Yeah, you keep just loaning her out, girl. Oh, I will, I'll make sure she's ready every March. Right, moving on, let's take it right back to when a young Tammy was around and growing up. You've already mentioned briefly your parents and your brother. What was it like growing up in a cricket household, was it? Did you play with your brother and your dad and what was it like, any good stories in that? Oh, yeah, yeah, I played a lot of cricket with my brother and my dad, actually. Yeah, I guess the first, I used to play in the back garden with my brother and his mates. And then there was one, my dad actually run the junior section at our club, so he had under 15s and under 11s and so my brother was 11, I was eight and one game they were trying to get out, it was an 11-side game and he was struggling, he started going, I was, sorry, they started going to like seven-year-olds and, you know, it was like, this person can't play, this person was like, but I come and look at the list that he's like crossing through throwing in these numbers and I point out one and I'm like, dad, I can bat better than him and I can bowl better than him, like, why can't I play? And my mum was just like, well, she's right, why can't she play? So yeah, that was how I played my first game of hardball cricket, I mean, the boys team. Yeah, pretty much being stubborn and having an opinion, which is a common theme, but yeah, I didn't look back, yeah, and then I guess the other one was, we played a lot of cricket together actually, so my dad was the captain of the second team at Sandwich Town after a very long career playing Kemp Premier League cricket and my brother used to open the batting, I batted at four and kept with it and my dad batted at seven and balled some, actually filthy off-spin to the long boundary, normally what would happen was as his kids would go out there, play some pretty shots, get some great, pretty 30s, dad would go in at seven and resurrect the innings and save the day, but then the number of times it was like caught beau moment, bowl beau moment, but you know, the scorecard just didn't lie, but yeah, it was great times, but also the odd argument and it was probably for the best that Michael and I never actually ran each other out or one of us might not have made it through life. Our producers sing "Up the Town" on each side, Colin's played in the twos with us as well, pulled some off-spin, so yeah, handy cricket, Jordan Cox played at Sandwich Town actually. There we go. Yeah, and Mark, Mark Shane was overseas player for a year, so yeah, when, after I left, I think he, 2011, yeah, that's how he is the stat queen, I've got a good feeling about the quiz player. I do think I have, we've been doing your research, have a random memory of, random useless facts. Tammy, I need to interview you on something else later, because she has this memory where everything I like to forget, she remembers, it's really embarrassing actually. Like that time when I was keeping wicking in India, stop, it was my first, my second tour and it was like, I've got the record for the most buys in an international T20 and it was because Katherine was bowling slowables and it was turning on the second bounce in front of me, and I was like, Katherine, please can I stand up? And she basically went, f*** no, just stop it. Just wear it, will you, Tammy? I was like, please. Oh, excellent. No, Tammy. Very stressful way to India, we couldn't win in India for a thousand years, so. Bill don't think we won an ODI, are you anyway, you wanted there? No, it's very hard. We should have though, I think we needed some non-biased umpiring. Well, DRS might make a difference, actually. DRS would have made a huge difference, had many a LBW's there. And that was the end of your keeping career as well then. And we've just, you know, Sarah Taylor, Amy Jones is not much weigh in because they're really home. Do you miss, do you miss Tammy or do you, would you ideally want to be a keeper or would you just be like, I'm happy to throw myself around. Um, sometimes, I don't miss the training, it was quite monotonous, just training kind of day and day out with, you know, some cones down pretending to be a nick. But yeah, I used to love being involved in the game kind of every ball. I have done it kind of occasionally, there's always keeping gloves in my bag. I like to say I'm the insurance policy for teams. Not quite a backup keeper, but just that kind of, you know, you cash it in when you need it. Utility. Yep. Yep. Yep. Now, the Olympics are on the minute, obviously, multi, multi dozens of different sports and disciplines. Now, I heard from a little birdie that you were also a gymnast and a hockey player. So could you have ever got to a national level with either of them, if you hadn't chosen cricket, and could you have ended up being on my telly these days on a different sport? So I did actually go to a national school's championship for gymnastics. However, the kind of gymnastics I did isn't in the Olympics. So it's like you're with a pair or a trio. So yeah, when I was, so yeah, you kind of pair as trios or fours and you kind of do lots of like moves together, I was normally one kind of thrown around and then had to land or things like that. So yeah, I wouldn't have made the Olympics for gymnastics because yeah, I actually didn't have good enough grip strength to do anything on the bar. So I moved over to how many's hands, how many's hands are like this? Very small. Very small. Honestly, I don't know why you ever went down the keeping route because I'm like, I don't even know if she puts a cricket ball in a hand because I thought my answer small, but your hands are like. Yeah, you never let me off when I drop one hockey ball in. No, we do. We have to remember that fact. What was your hockey like? That must have helped your batting. Yeah. Well, I actually did kind of two roles in hockey at school. I played in goal. I think because I was the one mad enough to be, be hit the smallest. Now I'll just kind of bring you in, happy to be, smash ball that. But yeah, I got to kind of, I had some Kent trials, but no, I wouldn't have ever made it in hockey. I really talented those girls, but I actually played cricket with one of them that's out in the Olympics. Giselle Ainsley, she played at university with us and actually played hockey with another one of the girls who was three years younger than me, but absolutely outclassed as every day. So Grace Balsden as well. So yeah, they're good girls, those two. Good quality. She's all right. A cricket Giselle, actually. Big hoop and in swingers. There's a little dabble. Yeah, no one likes those. While we're talking about you being young, let's take, fast forward a little bit to the start of Tammy's England career, 2009, what a year, what a great year for England. What was it like for you in your early years, like, when did you start to feel actually settled and comfortable? Because I know it was a hard start for you in that era where, I mean, it was just a strange kind of era, wasn't it? Yeah. And it wasn't really like you were out and out opening out, like it's clear. And that's been clear for a while now, but then it wasn't. Yeah, I think, well, to give the context, I obviously walked into the team, having just won back-to-back World Cups 50 over the T20s, the ashes in Australia. Yeah, watching that team went to West Indies who were ranked seventh or eighth in the world, we lost both series 2, 1, having rested a couple of players. And I'd only really played two years of county cricket and the standard of county cricket to international cricket was so vast and just wasn't really ready for it, I don't think. Wasn't mature enough as a person, wasn't ready cricket wise, obviously went as a key book as Sarah Taylor was injured, but yeah, back in kind of '89, I think I ended up at 11 as well. And yeah, just definitely got hit. I love the fact, I was pretty much a fan walking into that dressing room as well, like I was an absolute cricket badger, like, "Oh my God, I'm playing with Lottie and Leiden and Catherine and all these people that I've been watching at Lord's, winning the World Cup at Lord's, like three months before." So yeah, I don't think I really settled for a very long time and within two tours I was back out the team for like another year, came back as a batter, but I did kind of five six, again, back out you go, never really found that kind of role and really struggled to be honest, really struggled for a long time and I think it was probably only when Robbo came in in kind of 2016 where I'd really kind of had a bit of a, "Right, do I really want to keep going with this?" Because obviously we weren't really getting paid much. My parents still had to pay my rent. And I was working two days a week for Chance of Shine and not particularly enjoying it. So I'd had a bit of a heart to heart with our assistant coach at Time Carl Crow, he used to play for Leicester Show, he's all over the IPL franchise gigs now, but I was like, "I want to open the batting for England and that's what I want to do." And I'd basically been working at that and then when Robbo came in, he gave me that chance to do it. Yeah, at that point I luckily took it but I played so many games at that point that yeah, I was probably luck more than anything that it paid off. There wasn't enough of back in the day coaches, well obviously there weren't enough money, not enough staff or staff at the level we needed or whatever, that when you came along, it wasn't a case of right, get to know that player, how best they work and then get that out of them. It was just sort of, "We're going to coach the way we've always coached and everybody's going to get the same." And that's just literally not how life works, everybody's different, everybody has different needs, everybody has to be spoken to in a different way, you have to tolerate that and not that, like me, I must have been the nightmare, but at least I work like, if you can get the work hard, the work ethic person and the passion, then you can deal with the rest, you can't create those, you can't coach the other two, they just need to be there, do you know what I mean? So, we didn't have that and so it took literally seven years for someone to come along and be like, "Tami, let me get to know you, right, this is how I'm going to get the best out of you," boom, suddenly, 2016, you get your first century, and then you back it up literally a few days later with another century, and there's the birth of Tami Bowman, and it's like, that's solid. It was a complete mental week out there. It was, I hadn't even scored 50 for England, I scored a 50 on the Monday, 100 on the Wednesday and a 150 on the Saturday, just crazy, but you're right though, I think that's a thing to be like, you were an England contracted player, but if you weren't in the squad, the squad went away for a tour, and you'd be left in last before a month without any coaches, without anyone, without physio, without anything, and you're just like, "Okay, cool," and then you'd get in, you'd play well at Academy, England Academy, or County Cricket and you get back in and you open it at your county, your open for England A, and then you're batting up 4, 5, 6, I think I've ticked them all off actually, but it was like, "Go do what you've been doing," and I'm like, "Actually I couldn't articulate to you what I've been doing, I've just been batting, that's what I've been doing," so that was what it was, it was like, "Well go show what you've been doing at your county," I'm like, "Well, I've faced a newborn, now I'm going in and it's ragging, and I don't know what I'm doing," but anyway, you learn. But yeah, it was like the robber, I mean, he gave nearly all of us a second wind, like, we all went up a level, for sure, it was hard work, and it was really manipulative and made me really sad at times, right, but he got the very best out of us, he just knew how, he got to know you, and he knew how to scrape every last drop of talent from you that there possibly could be, and then add a bit more too, so, it was a really tough environment, wasn't it, but in terms of making you a world-class cricketer, it was his forte. I don't know, I think, short to. I was here, you talk about it, and I always felt it kind of differently, but I think I was lucky in that obviously he saw me as a young player who had talent, but completely not shown that potential at all, so he almost nurtured me probably a little bit more, but I also felt like I could go back and say, "Oh, I disagree with that, I don't agree with what you're doing," or, so I actually had a really good relationship with him and still stay in contact with him now, but I do see how other people found it a little bit more controlling, but I think you learned a lot. I could never do that with Robert, I sh*t my pants all the time. I think everyone has different relationships with different coaches, like every coach is different and you suit different ones differently, I think he probably saw a little bit of himself in me and tried to help me in that way, and I'm incredibly grateful to him because I would have had zero career without him really, or a pretty poor one that no one's going to write a home about, so yeah, but I can understand how other people didn't find letting everyone know when you were going on holiday and things like that, I've been dropping. And point fitness testing on the day after the piece of the morning. Oh yeah, that was a bad day, that was a bad day. That was the low... And then him getting halfway through it and saying, "I've made a mistake, haven't I? We should have been celebrating the World Cup tonight." And we were like, "Yeah, I do think it's to be fair, I've spoken to you." He actually says he's learned a lot from when he coach does and he does it quite differently at work she now, so just get that little disclaimer in there. Well, if he treated you the same way as me, it wouldn't work, so that was the view. I remember you hated him because he was like, "I want you to both seem instead of swing." And you didn't like the fact that you're an out-string, I know he was basically saying you'd be better if you're a seamer. And he gave me a new ball, great. And you got so many wickets with it. I did, because it then became not a one-trick pony, I became a three-trick pony. Which Jack Brooks, you're also a three-trick pony. Oh, dog, maybe you're a four-trick. No, that's what he said, he basically said, "I think you're too old and you can't learn new things." And I said, "Watch this." That's where you get the longevity from. Yeah, longevity comes from always trying to get better, like, they don't see anybody after a certain age. You think you've caught your peak in your early 30s and it's the only way down, but actually, how do you sustain, even if you squeeze another year out, you've got to still got to try and get there. How do you think Broad Anderson went off for so long? They were motivated by getting better, really, like, I could argue Anderson was better in his last six, seven years with his stats, I mean, can you? Yeah, I would say everything happened for a reason, the timing was good. He said that to me at 33, "I could easily be quitting by then." And some people didn't want to go the extra mile. Some people would just say, "No, enough's enough." And you say spring chicken, I'd add two back surgeries. Some did. Do you want me to tell the story about your back surgery or do you want me to leave that one? I'll have it, please. Good time. No, I didn't have to do that, but I didn't have to put your pants and socks on for a week. It's all coming out now. Just to love that, you can kind of know the love. That's what real friends do, Jack. None of my teammates would have to do that for me, by the way. You had two, though, like, I saw you in so much pain, like so many times, like, when you got flown home from the West Indies, that World Cup, like, you just doped on pain kills for days. And when we had to go to the airport with you in that wheelchair and you're just in tears, I think all of us were just crying, but then through some times, that's my real low point. I thought that was it for you, like, no, no word of a lie. I thought that was it. You were not playing again, and the fact that you did, you did, and you got to like, World Cup finals after that, and you carried on playing, and, I mean, you went way past what I asked you in them. You won't remember this either, but this is my stupid brain again. World Cup 2017, we're at the after party at Lords, and we're all, obviously, high as, well, you know, we've all had a few drinks. Danny Hays was going round with... Hi! No, not like that! Like, it's in, like, just, like, excited that we've won the first cup. Don't... No. Definitely not. No, so we're all... Yeah, after party. Danny Hays has been running round with a bottle of rum, putting it into people's mouths, like, just because. When I get older, Katherine, I'm like, come on, mate, promise me four more years, four more years, like, we've got to retain it in New Zealand, or whatever it was. And she was like, mate, I'm not playing four more years, like, not a chance. I'm done. Give it a couple years, and Ash is, that's about it. Literally, like, seven years later, she's still... Oh, god. I just remember Lottie saying, I think this kept me going a long time, Lottie said to me once, that I would never play as long as she did. She's like, no chance. And then I played one more year than she did. I think that must have been it. That was it. So what drove you on, I reckon? Right. Jack, we have really... We have really droned it on here, aren't we? I love it. Absolutely love it. That World Cup final, by the way, in 2017, I remember watching it and you both played it headingly. I remember watching it in the food room, headingly, after a champo game. So it would have been an evening when you won it. Yeah, like... Again, go on until the evening. And I remember both sets of players from that game, sat there watching it with coaches and the room was packed and everyone was properly engaged in the game. And obviously, Anya went through and gone drop the dolly and it was all going on wasn't it? Pointy drum! Pointy drum! Like, all anyone ever remembers her for? And actually, she was a gun that World Cup, like, got her out of so many rubbish positions with a bat, but yeah, that dropped her out. She was a top international cricket for a very long time, that's what she was. Right, Jack, I remember we got time for one more question, what do you reckon? Okay, outside of cricket, Tammy or post cricket, have you got any plans in place? What do you reckon you're going to be doing in the future? Coaching, media, something up, stuff away from the game, have you got anything going on? Obviously, already dabble with some commentary, so I'd love to continue that a lot more. I'm also starting a Masters next year in kind of leadership in sport and I'd love to potentially look at, you know, maybe directors of cricket or general manager type things. I've really enjoyed kind of the strategic side of the Welshfire captain scene, it's kind of opened my eyes to maybe something that I hadn't thought about beforehand. I think coaching for me, I'd be horrendous, I'd just try and fix everyone, like I'd never sleep, I'd just be like worried about them and try and control everything and then when they start over the white line, you can't do it for them, so I'd be killing myself I think, so I don't think quite thinks coaching for me, maybe like an assistant coaching in a couple of franchises where you rock up and take the cash, which is completely what I've said I don't do as a player, but no, I'm kidding, I'm kidding, I think I'm pretty clear in what I want to do. I think it'd be good as a GM time you get done, we need some strong females, that's the plan. And especially as, and especially as like this all is tier one stuff and like it's going down a really great line where, you know, that will be a big job. And I imagine you could, that would be men's, women's and pathways. So you could really make a big difference and you're a massive badger, you probably know all about men's cricket as well, so, can't start watching, like can't start watching cricket. The cricket never stops, that's what, you've got a, right, should we get a crack onto the PCA? Yeah. MVP update. MVP update in the men's game, plenty of games come thick and fast pretty much every day in the Metro Bank one day cup, Warriches Ed Barnard is still ahead of the MVP standings. He basically is captain of Warriches, he opens up by and opens up all of them, and he's dominating. And he's very, very far ahead of Zack Chapel in second place. And Jack Leach, my old mucker from Somerset, he's in third place after a six for the other day. And in the 100 MVP rankings, James Vince is top of the leaderboard, just ahead of Craig Overton and Liam Dawson. Craig Overton is team mate at the brave, Liam Dawson, he'll round up, who is always doing the very well in MVP related point systems. What's going on in the women's version, Brontek? Well, as you know, there's only the 100 going on in the women's, so, and no surprise, as you all know, Jack, is that there's three all rounders at one, two and three, which is how it generally happens. And they always end up catching balls as well and getting runouts because they're always putting the best positions. And that was at least period number one, has been overtaken by Aussie mate, Annabelle Suddland, who's been on the charge for the old superchargers recently, have been spanked someone today, who was a Phoenix, the Phoenix, yes, which didn't allow, obviously, Elise Perry to get some old MVP points in theirs, very tactical from Annabelle. So she's leading the way. And then the best player in the world, Manati, coming in at third, and I'm really needed, which is not going to get to the finals, to at least get MVP, which is actually kind of impossible. Tamaju, the MVP points continue into the finals as well. I don't know. I'm not an all rounder, so I pay no attention to the MVP points whatsoever. This is where they should stop the points, so that, you know, she can get it. Anyway, that's the one, two and three. Have you got anyone you're backing, Tammy, for that award? Oh, well, I'm going to obviously go Welshfire, so our best little rounder would be Hayley Mathews. Yeah, she's got two mid-cat match here as already, yesterday's was. And then the not off, one off 15 balls, yeah. The one off 16, yeah, that was slightly strange for me, I'm not going to last. She did get nine leg-byes, so like team runs wise was good. And we were only chasing 85, so at one point, leg-byes was winning by a long way, so, yeah. Yeah, kicking him, kicking him is no problem with that. Cricket archive guest statler, Tammy, you have not missed an ODI for England since June 2016. You played 95 consecutive 50-over matches for England since then, and sit third on the all-time list of successive games played. How proud are you with that? Can't you get up to a hundred or? Yeah, that's a pretty cool record, I think, particularly as an opening batter. Did you know that one? I didn't know how many, I knew, I get tagged in it a lot whenever I play one, so I knew I played quite a lot as an I knew I hadn't missed one. Yeah, I think it's really cool, I think, to kind of touch would have been physically fit enough to play every single game, and also, you know, scoring enough runs occasionally to keep your place as well, I think it's important, so yeah, that's a cool one, and probably never going to catch Mattali Raj, so let's be honest. Why? Well, she had an easy life. She stood at mid-over and just didn't move, didn't she, or just went off for 20-overs. You're on 95, she got 109, so you're not 14 behind, so if you map out England's schedule over next, like 14 games, it's not that far off, it's probably the end of next year maybe, isn't it? Sometime next year. Yeah, it's a world wrap next year, so that's always a good bumper. Boom. Boom, number one. I've got you, right, we are on to under the lids big question, so tell me if I'm on, please tell our listeners and us, maybe not me, I might know this. One thing that we, and we've gone under the lid a lot today, so I've probably told us everything, it's one thing that we might not know about you. I am a massive Harry Potter geek, I reckon I could win mastermind, specialist subject with Harry Potter knowledge. Interesting. I've got, I think we've got a Harry Potter-like trivial pursuit board game downstairs. I'll have you round for some wine, you're on my team. I can't believe it makes. You're on my team, yeah. Look, well, I didn't know that actually, so. Great. Excellent. Well, none of these quiz questions that are coming up, I don't think will be Harry Potter related, unfortunately, if you're all cricket related, which is probably your second best subject. Probably, yeah. I was actually talking to Callum about what can I say is like, what's something nobody knows about me, and we realise that I'm just really boring, and there's just nothing really to say. That's not very nice. We're going to put your quiz knowledge to the test now, though, in our last round, which is the quiz, and the questions are generally cricket-themed, they might be the odd little curveball in there. There is a prize. We do now finally have a prize for the whole winner, just to let you know, the leaderboard at the minute is joined first is Ollie Hanhamdol, the Harrybrook and Catherine Bryce Ball on 8th. So you have a minute to answer as many as you can, a quick fire. So if you don't know, just pass them, we'll try and fire out another question here. Each question scored correctly is one run, obviously eight is top of the minute. And our quiz prize is a £500 J Lindenburg adventure, men's fashion, women's fashion, golf, alcohol, golf, merchandise, clubs, et cetera. Do you go for most people on this podcasting to be golfing? No, I don't like golf at all, so I might just get seven. Neither do I. Or I'll put a cup out here, that's a club or something. A £500 worth of drinks. Let's get the scoreboard up. And we will fire away in three, two, one, go. In which Caribbean country did you make your over the identity of this book? Then Nevis. So Kitts and Nevis. Yes. How many international centuries have you scored? Nine. Oh, total. No, who was the only non-English? Oh, yeah. Who was the only non-English? Who was the only non-English player to be named with in a picture of the year alongside you in 2019? Yeah, clearly. Yes. Yes. Heather Knight, Joss Butler, in which other English... Diving my hands, God, centuries in all formats. Yes. Yes. You were the top run scorer in the 2017 ODI World Cup by how many runs? One, three or three. One. Thanks, Nat. Two tops pod for the Blaze in the Charlotte Edwards Cup final this year. Catherine Bryce. Yeah. Who has more Instagram followers? You or Broncy? Or me? Yes. Yes. How many balls did it take you to set the fastest D20th century by an English woman? Or D7th. Yes. In which country have you scored the most international centuries again? Against South Africa. Yeah. Yes. Yes. How many times have you played as a keeper for England? 15, 17, 20. 15. No. And one more question, you're on the buzzer. Yeah. One more question? Yeah, because you tried it. We said the same question three times. This is to go top of the leaderboard to no pressure, which Bola eventually dismissed you for 208 in last year's ashes. Oh, my God. No, she got eight balls. As if she wouldn't know that one, for you, woman. Have you just gone 30 swipes? She's just gone flying to the top. Was a dirty swipes. Oh, goodness me. Do you know what? I knew it. I had a feeling about this. Tammy just like knows these things. There is a Harry Potter one in here. Here we go. There is a Harry Potter one in here. Is there? Yeah. Which actress who appeared in the Harry Potter films was also born in Dover? Oh. Don't know about that. Are you? Are you born in Dover? I was born in Dover. Are you born in Dover? Yes. It's a very famous actress. You probably get her from London. Hello. And a bottom character. No, Miriam Margolis. Oh. Oh, yeah. Yeah. How do you say her name? Is that his name? How I just said it. Miriam Margolis. Is it Margolis, or something? It's not Margolis. Margolis. Delling. You've gone top of the league. Congratulations, Tammy. We'll sort out a... Top of the league. Well, you can take the money, actually. I'm going to be going to change it for cash if you want. I feel right. Because you like cash. I'm buying a house. Thank you so much, Tammy, for coming on and sparing some time for us. That was awesome. Awesome chatting to you. Really good. Thanks for coming on Under the Leap. Thanks for having me, guys. Yes. Tammy. Sorry for embarrassing you, Kelly. What beauty? You obviously know very well when she's class, isn't she? Yeah, she's very switched on to a cricket. Very. There's not anything Tammy doesn't know. She is... Yes. The Be All and End All of Cricket. I found her very insightful when she's on the commentary as well. She speaks very well. She's very good on that. Yeah. That's why she makes her a good captain. She's always itching, even playing for England. You could just see her ticking all the time, dying to say something. There's someone like every ball that just wants to be in it and involved and we're very similar in that way. I love just passionate and just love it, like just getting in tackles and yeah. She's great. She's English cricket through and through. Superstar. Superstar. Yes. Superstar. Just to wrap up then, we've got a bit of feedback this week. We've got one from Glenn. Love the show. Another great episode. I really enjoy the mix of both men and women professionals. All the other podcasts and podcasts I watch will listen to, or even one or the other. There we go. Vodka. Vodka. Vodka. Vodka. Vodka. Vodka. Vodka. You can watch podcasts. You can watch podcasts are basically us on YouTube. Just me all in the round. Thanks, Glenn. Very, very keen. We are. I think it's as much as possible. On both sides. I don't think so. A message from jagat. Love the pod. You both are doing a great job. Catherine was great in the con box yesterday, in the 100. Nat calling you was hilarious as well as cute. Keep up the good work. I think you should get happy or perry in the next episode, or anyone who has played against Catherine in the past, because that would be fun. That sounds like a great idea. We could get a bit more on what it's like thanking HU and how much of a ***** nightmare. That sounds like a terrible idea. We're having a mishmail on here, actually. There we go. Have a nasty. Have a nasty, nasty. We'll have a little think because we have been asking, you know, for people's opinion on who we should get out here. So that's the first time anyone's had a little bit of a suggestion. So we will answer the call, don't you worry. We'll try and get some global superstars to leave it with us. We'll work it. Underlet. We can do everything. And always, please get in touch via socials with #underletor low@underlet.co.uk. That's it for this week, we'll have another superstar guest lined up for next week. We'll keep you guessing in the meantime, if you could hit subscribe, leave a review, tell your friends, so when our greater is, have a fantastic week, and we will see you next week. Yes. Ciao for now, everybody. You could probably do an extra episode on just embarrassing stories. How about I co-host one, and we interview Cathy? Yes. Yes, I like the sound of it.