England unhappy with Rita Ora show before T20 World Cup final

England are annoyed their bowlers' usual pre-game routines will be changed by the appearance of Rita Ora ahead of the Women's T20 World Cup final against Australia at Lord's on Sunday.

The pop singer will headline the tournament's closing ceremony on the outfield at the 'Home of Cricket' from 2:30-3:00 pm (1330-1400 GMT), 30 minutes before the start of the showpiece match between the arch-rivals.

While the teams are permitted on to the main ground before and after the performance, any warm-up drills in between will have to take place on the Nursery Ground, mainly used for net practice on training days.

But it could all prove something of a frustration, with Ora performing at a time when bowlers like to mark their run-ups and go through their paces on the ground where they will be playing.

Closing ceremonies on the outfield are becoming increasingly common at the end of major tournaments, and while it is believed England are not treating this as a major issue, captain Nat Sciver-Brunt made it clear some of her team-mates are far from impressed.

"Obviously there's a few moving parts with the pre-game stuff," Sciver-Brunt told 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."

Australia captain Sophie Molineux, however, was less concerned by 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.

jdg/iwd/bsp 

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