Before Sunday’s Women’s T20 World Cup final at Lord’s against Australia, England cricket team is irritated that Rita Ora’s performance would alter its bowlers’ customary pre-game rituals.
Thirty minutes prior to the start of the pivotal match between the bitter rivals, the pop diva will be the headliner of the tournament’s closing ceremony on the outfield at the “Home of Cricket” from 2:30 to 3:00 pm (1330 to 1400 GMT).
Before and after the performance, the teams are allowed on the main field; however, any warm-up exercises must take place on the Nursery Ground, which is mostly used for net practice on training days.
However, Ora’s performance at a time when bowlers prefer to mark their run-ups and practice on the field where they would be playing could prove to be somewhat frustrating.
At the conclusion of big tournaments, closing ceremonies on the outfield are becoming more and more prevalent. Although it is thought that England is not viewing this as a serious problem, captain Nat Sciver-Brunt made it apparent that some of her teammates are not impressed.
“Obviously there’s a few moving parts with the pre-game stuff,” AFP quoted Sciver-Brunt telling reporters on Saturday.
“People like to bowl before the game on one of the bowl-through wickets. We had a few chins down (when the England players found out).
“I guess that’s what you get when you’re playing in a final and there’s a lot of other moving parts that aren’t to do with the two teams playing. Hopefully we can go about our business as usual.”
Sophie Molineux, the captain of Australia, was less worried about the situation.
“I’m assuming if Rita Ora is here, we can evacuate the dance floor, that’s for sure,” she said with a smile.
