The day before Lauren Filer stepped onto the international stage, she dreamed that her first ball would be a beam ball.
Instead, the 23-year-old fast bowler trapped Australia great Ellyse Perry lbw. The decision was overturned after review, but that didn’t matter to Farrar as she gulped Beth Mooney off the last ball of the third ball.
It’s clear England have found someone special.
Farrar led her team out at Trent Bridge on the fourth day of last year’s Ashes Test. “It was very surreal,” she recalled. “I didn’t know it was happening until 10 minutes before the game started, everyone kept asking me if I was nervous and I told them I was fine.
“But when we sang the national anthem, I thought, ‘Wow, this is really happening,’ and I didn’t believe it in the first few rounds.
“Once I felt the ball, I was fine. I don’t think I’ll be able to relive that moment because it was so special.”
Filler’s trajectory and pace continued to peak as she clocked a century of 78.4 mph and was named Player of the Series on her ODI debut against Sri Lanka in September.
With the Women’s World Cup in Bangladesh less than six months away and, even more imminently, a multi-format white-ball series against Pakistan starting on Saturday, Farrar is preparing to take the stage again.
Tammy Beaumont shows off her maiden T20 cap to Lauren Filer during the series against New Zealand in April
“I’ve never played against Pakistan and haven’t really watched them that much, so I think it’s going to be a really interesting game to see how we fare against them and vice versa,” Filler said.
“I’m trying to focus on the present but I know as a team this will definitely take us to the World Cup in Bangladesh and it would be foolish not to think about that.
“In the last 10 months I’ve been playing in England, I think I’ve improved through the experience of playing against international players and learning from the bowling, batting and fielding coaches.
“You don’t always get these things in regional cricket. There are definitely some people there but here it’s more personal. It’s fantastic.
“I’m a lot more accurate than I was before, I just want to keep the pace and keep improving. When I look back at the Ashes, I can see I lost some legs.
“I can’t wait to get back on the pitch, it’s great to put on the England jersey and being with the girls is fantastic.”
England’s pace bowler Lauren Filer leads team on fourth day of Ashes tie
The Bristol native feels his bowling style is most influential in 50-over and Test cricket, but with the T20 World Cup approaching, Farrar is determined to diversify his repertoire, particularly with the women’s The proliferation of shorter formats in the game.
“T20 is not my strongest format, so it’s nice to have the support of (Jon) Lewis and (Heather) Knight,” Filer added.
“It’s such a lovely environment, so whenever you get a call-up, whether it’s a 50-over or a T20, I’m always filled with joy.
“Test cricket is very close to 50-over matches in terms of popularity. In Test matches, the results are very high or low and you either love it or hate it.
“As a guy with a certain pace, it’s more difficult to control the direction of the ball in T20 cricket, whereas in the longer format of the game I have more time and people don’t really hit the odd shot.
England’s Lauren Filer (second left) celebrates taking the wicket of Australia’s Elise Perry on day one of the first Women’s Ashes Test match at Trent Bridge
“I started to enjoy T20 cricket more and more, but 50-over cricket and Test cricket hold a special place in my heart.
“I need to use more variations in my T20 games. I have been working on my accuracy and I think it will hold up, now it’s about using length variations of yorkers or bouncers to manipulate my bowling.
“It’s one of those things you have to keep practicing because if you think it’s going to go wrong, it probably will.
“We’ve worked a lot on my length and changeup, so if I play, hopefully you’ll see some of that.”
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has sold more than 75,000 tickets for the Pakistan series and the upcoming summer tour of New Zealand – more tickets than were sold at the same time last year, including the Ashes tour .
For Farrar, who gathers momentum from the energy of the crowd, she hopes to make the most of it.
“It just goes to show you how amazing the trajectory of women’s sports has been and how popular it’s become,” Farrar said with a smile.
“Last year’s Ashes was unbelievable. I heard a lot of talk about the fans at Edgbaston and it meant the world to us as players because it meant we were getting people to watch the games.
“Whether it’s someone who has been watching the game for years or a new member of the family, it means a lot to have that support because you don’t always get that kind of support in regional cricket.
Saturday, May 11, 2:00 pm
“I remember one game during the Top 100 and I looked up at the screen and it said 15,000 people and I was shocked.
“Sometimes you get lost in the game and have tunnel vision, but when you take the wicket you realize how noisy the crowd is.
“I love the noise. At Trent Bridge, during the Ashes game, my legs were really tired and then everyone was clapping and cheering, which helped me keep going.
“Obviously, it’s harder when you miss the ball and hear the boos. I haven’t been through that, and I’m not going to touch wood.”
However, this level of success seemed unlikely for Farrar, who was dismissed for playing too much cricket a year ago, but thankfully the memory brings laughter rather than tears.
“It’s all cricket’s fault that I got sacked!” Feiler said. “A lot of things changed very quickly within a few months and I suddenly started playing a lot more cricket.”
Watch England Women’s T20I and ODI series against Pakistan live sky sports cricket, Starting at 2pm on Saturday 11th May.
Women’s Vitality IT20 Series vs Pakistan – Live on Sky Sports
May 11: 1st Women’s IT20 – Edgbaston, Birmingham, 2.30pm
May 17: 2nd Women’s IT20 – Northamptonshire Stadium, 6.30pm
May 19: 3rd Women’s IT20 – Headingley, Leeds, 1pm
Women’s Metro Bank One-Day International Series vs Pakistan – Live on Sky Sports
May 23: 1st Women’s One-Day International – Derby Incola County Stadium, 1pm
May 26: Second Women’s One-Day International – The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton, 11am
May 29: 3rd Women’s One-Day International – Crowder County Stadium, Chelmsford, 1pm
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