Lauren Bell believes she has taken a big step towards her goal of becoming the world’s best female fast bowler with the remodeled action that has seen her succeed in South Africa.
Bell has been working diligently over the past year on technical adjustments to maintain a more upright posture when bowling. This allowed her to swing the ball both ways and gain extra speed and bounce.
Her hard work looks set to pay off after an eight-wicket performance in England’s Test win over the Proteas in Bloemfontein before Christmas, giving Bell a spring break before the Women’s Ashes.
“The whole change in behavior is in a really good place, so we’re not in a technical position right now,” Bell said.
“What I have now is learning more about this game. It’s about learning when and how to use the options I have under various conditions.
“I want to be the best in the world, so I have to keep improving my game, keep working and keep moving forward.
“If that means taking a few steps back, then that is it. I feel like it’s leading me in the right direction moving forward.
“The South Africa Test match was a perfect example of how I might not have adapted well to the conditions if I had bowled the way I used to. I had the tools to adapt and it paid off.”
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The Ashes get underway on Sunday with the first of three ODIs, three T20s and a one-off four-day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. All packed in just 3 weeks.
Bell is likely to manage the workload at some stage as he took part in the multi-format series against South Africa in December, but is full of optimism about England’s other seam bowling options.
“Spin is a big part of women’s cricket, but I think the seamers we’ve gotten through are really exciting,” Bell said.
Lauren Filer tormented Australia with her extra pace in her debut international series 18 months ago and Bell has been impressed by her fellow seamer’s continued progress.
“It was amazing,” Bell added. “It’s amazing to see the progression from when he came in, when he debuted, to where he is now. Her speed is definitely impressive and people have a hard time with it.
“I hope the pitch is as hard and fast here in Australia as it was in South Africa. She was very intimidating out there. We are happy to have her on our team. That’s for sure.”
Read more: Jon Lewis is confident England are ‘in a good position’ ahead of the Ashes in Australia.
