Reactions from the England players and team management after their triumph over India in a nail-biting World Cup final at Lord’s
ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jul-2017Anya Shrubsole”I’m a little bit lost for words, if I’m honest. Just an unbelievable game. It looked for a minute like we were out of it, but one of the great things about this team is we never give up. Alex Hartley got that vital wicket of Harmanpreet (Kaur) and we never looked back from there.”It’s more that you don’t want the game to be ruined by rain. It was just an amazing game from start to finish, and I think it’s a very fitting final for what’s been a brilliant World Cup. It’s a World Cup final, there’s a huge amount of pressure, so much pressure on new batters coming in. We never let the run rate get away from us, even though we weren’t getting wickets, so we knew if we got a couple, we’d be right in the game. It’s a dream, and a dream you never think is going to come true. Here, watching my dad play in the club national knockouts, so to be back 16 years later as a World Cup winner is just amazing.”Heather Knight”I can’t stop smiling, to be honest. So proud of that group of girls, they have been outstanding. We’ve made it hard for ourselves this tournament, but I couldn’t care less. We won those really tight games, which is something we wanted to work on over the last 18 months. Back in Delhi feels like a long time ago, but it was the making of this team. All we’ve done in the last 18 months is to deal with situations like that. Anya Shrubsole, what a hero. What a day.”Credit to India, they had a brilliant tournament and played really well. Punam (Raut) was batting outstandingly and they got some partnerships together. I thought if we hung in there and let the rate stay around five or six that we’d always be in the game. The girls really held their nerve. We took our catches at the end, apart from that little one by Jenny Gunn which was slightly stressful, but the main thing is we got over the line and have got the trophy. Just want to thank the crowd, the support has been fantastic throughout the tournament. Hopefully after our success, we can grow the game in this country. There has never been a better time for girls to play.”Tammy Beaumont”Robbo (Mark Robinson, the coach) had to remind me that I’ve been doing well. So many of the girls stood up. It’s been a great team performance. Myself and Lauren got off to a good start, but we thought we threw it away. But our batting order has been superb. Jenny Gunn and Katherine Brunt were excellent. Full credit to Raut and Kaur, they put on an exceptional partnership. In my head, it was never in doubt, we knew one wicket could change things. It was back in April that we all came here to the Lord’s tour. Lot of hard work went into it, all for just this moment.”Sarah Taylor”Probably couldn’t have been a better comeback, I’m just so proud of the girls. It’s been a roller coaster year for me, but to be part of this team has been simply incredible. For me, it was a case of being healthy, just get back training and see how I go. I was just lucky to be here for the World Cup. India played exceptionally well and we’ve been there, so we know it hurts. But I guess you have to rebuild, come back stronger, and this will make them better cricketers and better people. Good luck to them in the future. Heather Knight’s such a calm character, there was no pressure on us at all. She just lets us play our game. She’s been an incredible character for us and an incredible person.”Alex Hartley”I can’t believe it. This is what we’ve been working for. The girls were absolutely fantastic. It’s a dream come true for all of us. I’ve never stepped onto Lord’s before in a game, absolutely fantastic that we managed to pull it off. At that moment, you can’t really think of that (that a World Cup is at stake), you get too nervous. For me, it’s just another cricket game, but at the back of the mind, it was the World Cup. Anya Shrubsole, what a hero.”Laura Marsh”Think I bowled okay, but Anya was just outstanding at the end, to take all those wickets under pressure was fantastic. I think in a World Cup final, every run is really important. We always knew we’re right in the game. We just stuck in there, it was brilliant.”Fran Wilson”We knew we’d be able to pull through. We’ve done it before; we knew we could do it again. Credit to Anya, she was amazing. Everyone was amazing. I can’t tell you what was going through my head. I guess just past experiences, knowing that 20,000 people are behind you and also the 11 girls on the pitch and the support staff, all willing you on, and that’s always going to keep you calm. It was amazing, an incredible experience. I can’t imagine life after the World Cup.”Jenny Gunn”It’s brilliant to be here at Home of Cricket, Lord’s, home support, in front of family and friends, is just amazing. This is one of the best teams I’ve played with.”England coach Mark Robinson”India played really well, but I’m so proud of the girls. We knew we were 30 light, but we knew we were always in the game. The wicket has been used before, early in the year, so slow bowlers were always going to be hard to get away. So it was a fighting score. This team has a lot of heart, lot of courage. We just needed that break every now and then, and once we had that break, we were right in this game. The game’s really grown, has been incredibly backed by the ICC, it has been marketed, the media has got behind it. And what an atmosphere today. I really enjoyed it. I was desperate for us to win, but it’s such a great occasion, and I just enjoyed every minute of it. The girls have been really well-behaved this trip, I don’t suppose they will be tonight.”
