A day after England’s emphatic win over Sri Lanka in the Women’s T20 World Cup opener, fast-bowler Lauren Bell sounded pleased but not remotely complacent. Speaking ahead of tomorrow night’s Group 2 meeting with Ireland at the Hampshire (Ageas) Bowl, she repeated one simple demand – keep the tempo high.
“We couldn’t have been happier with how Friday night went, especially with it being the opening game,” she said. “It puts us in a good place but you’ve got to go again, start from zero and bring the same energy as we did on Friday.”
Key facts first. England sit top of the group on net run-rate after brushing aside Sri Lanka. Ireland lost their first outing and realistically need an upset here to stay alive. The sides have met only four times in women’s T20 internationals, and just once at a World Cup – England won that match in Paarl last year.
Bell, 25, accepts that relative unfamiliarity means a different type of prep. “Playing a team like Australia, I know exactly how to bowl; I bowl at these players plenty of times,” she said. “A team like Ireland, you do have to do a little bit of research on who they are and how they might line up.” Even so, she refuses to rip up her own method. “But ultimately, it’s the same way I prep for any team; I know my strengths, I know my plans and a lot of the time, I don’t veer too far off from what I do best and what my strengths are.”
Two Irish names crop up in every scouting report: captain Gaby Lewis and all-rounder Orla Prendergast, currently No. 6 in the ICC rankings for the role. Both have played county or regional cricket in England, so Bell has some first-hand knowledge. “I don’t think I’ve played against many of them particularly often,” she admitted, “but I played with Gaby Lewis a few years ago for the Southern Vipers and then she joined Southern Brave for a few games. She’s a quality player, it goes without saying.” Bell added, “They’re obviously their best two batters and who we’ll really have to focus in on to try and not (let them) make an impact in the game. They’re quality players and I look forward to playing against them.”
Tomorrow is also a homecoming. Bell grew up a few miles from the ground and is the leading T20 wicket-taker at the venue – 36 wickets at 15.61, 29 of them in The Hundred. “Obviously I’ve grown up playing my professional cricket here. One of the best things about a home World Cup is getting to play at your home ground where you’ve made your professional memories. It will be really special tomorrow.”
Those exploits – and a stint with Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Women’s Premier League – have made her unusually recognisable for a young fast bowler. Her Instagram following has climbed past two million, a number that once felt unthinkable in the women’s game. Bell shrugs. Social media, she says, is “part of the job”. Then comes the bigger point: “It’s something that’s rapidly evolved over the last few years and another way of getting eyeballs on the game and trying to inspire young girls and be those role models that maybe we didn’t have so much growing up, because there wasn’t as much accessibility for it.”
From a tactical angle, England fielded three spinners against Sri Lanka, exploiting the slow Southampton surface. Coach Jon Lewis hinted the balance will stay similar, though overhead conditions could still tempt an extra seamer. Bell’s role remains the powerplay enforcer – new-ball swing, yorkers at the death – but expect her to hold back an over in the middle if Prendergast settles.
Ireland, for their part, have been encouraged by Prendergast’s late-innings hitting and by Cara Murray’s wrist-spin. Yet they will know that to upset a side ranked No. 2 in the world they must win both the powerplay and the last five overs – tall orders against England’s depth.
Still, Bell refuses to indulge any talk of safe passage to the semi-finals. “It’s a World Cup,” she said with a grin to reporters. “No one gives you anything.” England, she insisted, will “start from zero”, try to “bring the same energy” – and hope the home crowd supplies the rest.
