Lauren Filer’s rise in the cricketing world has been sharp – and so is her perspective when it comes to trusting the process.
The 23-year-old burst onto the international scene during England’s Ashes series last year and quickly proved she was one-to-watch, catching Australia’s Beth Mooney at gully with her final ball at Trent Bridge.
Fast-forward 12 months and she has a developmental central contract, was named Emerging Cricketer of the Year by the Cricket Writers’ Club 2023 and played a key part in this month’s New Zealand Series.
“The last 18 months have been a whirlwind to say the least. Cricket-wise it’s just gone through the roof,” Filer said, speaking at an event hosted at Cheetham Hill, one of the non-turf pitches installed in 2023 as part of the KP Snacks Everyone In Pitch Initiative.
“I’ve travelled the world and am really enjoying being with the team, they welcomed me with open arms. It’s honestly such a good environment and I think that creates the success we’ve had on the pitch.
“When you have an environment like the England side does, it’s so easy to perform for each other and just get the best out of one another. As a team we’re good at bouncing off each other.
“It didn’t feel intimidating or threatening stepping into the side at all. I’ve learned a lot from everyone in the group no matter whether they’ve played a handful of games or 100.”
As England’s fastest bowler, Filer was part of the side’s comprehensive ODI series triumph against New Zealand, which started with a nine-wicket victory in the opener – a good omen ahead of the World Cup.
“The NZ series was a good one for us,” said the Bristol-born star. “As a team we thought, ‘That’s how we want to play cricket.’ We want to dominate teams and even when we get into a position where we’re dominating them within the game, we want to keep going and keep pushing to get the win as quick as we can.
“It’s hard because our success against New Zealand did mean we finished our home run a bit early but there’s so much talent in The Hundred that it’s going to be a good challenge for all the England players.”
While a lot of eyes have been on England’s collective triumph, Filer has also been the centre of attention – and anticipation – as potentially the first female athlete to break the 80mph pace.
This attention is something the youngster is determined not to dwell on, grounded by the belief that trusting in her process will bring the desired results for both her and her team.
“The question of when or who will reach 80mph in women’s cricket is always being asked until someone hits it,” she said, at an event supporting KP Snacks, who in partnership with England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), have committed to installing and refurbishing 100 new non-turf cricket pitches over the next three years focusing on cities and urban areas where facilities might not exist or need refurbishing over three years.
“It’s hard to say I’m aiming for that because obviously it would be great to hit it but for me it’s more about getting consistent at bowling mid to high 70s.
“The 80 is something that might happen with time and trust but I’m building on where I’m now. I know the coaches tell me to bowl as fast as I can so I’m going to keep trying to do that.”
For Filer consistency will be a key marker of her readiness for October’s World Cup in Bangladesh, which she hopes to prove in the coming months.
“Getting into the World Cup squad is a big thing for me this year,” said the Somerset and London Spirit ace. “We’ve got a very good pool of players. In our series against New Zealand there was a team of 16 so potentially one of us could be dropped.
“I think you have to be prepared for both – to get picked and potentially not be picked – but for me I’m looking to have a good Hundred and see where I’m at the end.”
The next few weeks offer Filer the chance to continue to perform in competitive conditions, but she is confident the strength and depth of England’s squad promises great things for later in the year.
“During our matches against New Zealand we probably changed the team every game, but we hardly noticed a difference,” she added. “It didn’t feel like we’d lost whole sections of play from one person swapping in and out so that’s such a good strength to have as a team.
“To have your bench players be able to come in and do the same job as the person who may be injured is great. We know as a team that we have that and that puts us in good stead for the World Cup.
“From my perspective now it’s all about trying to stay as fit as possible and preparing for all eventualities. Hopefully I’ll be on that plane to Bangladesh when the time comes but we’ll have to wait and see.”
KP Snacks are hosting a Cricket coaching masterclass with local football supporting families in Manchester introducing new audiences to the joys of a different sport. If forms part of KP Snack’s Everyone In Campaign which aims to inspire and enable families and communities to get active through cricket.
