We catch up with England pace bowler Lauren Filer ahead of the two remaining Vitality IT20 fixtures against India
Pace bowler Lauren Filer made her international debut for England in June 2023, taking 12 wickets in her first four matches. She has subsequently played in all three formats for the national side. She joined Durham Cricket for the 2025 season on a three-year deal leading the team’s seam attack.
A keen footballer when she was younger – she had trials for Bristol City FC – she started her cricket journey alongside her twin sister Jodie at Weston-super-Mare Cricket Club after being handed a leaflet at secondary school for a new girls’ team. She is considered one of the best bowing talents in the world.
Men’s Fitness: Has cricket always been your number one sport?
Lauren Filer: I played multiple team sports and a few individual ones as well. Football was probably my main sport from the ages of 8 to 11. That’s when I found cricket, and I played both until I was about 16-17 up until college. Then I had to make a decision about which one I wanted to play. I was better at cricket and thought ‘I might be able to make something here’. Cricket took top priority – and I’m glad it did because I’m in the position I’m in now.
MF: Is it the best time to be an England women’s cricket player?
LF: Yes, definitely. I think the last few years women’s cricket has really moved forward and we’re in the best place before we’ve ever been. We’re pioneering our way through the development of the game and hopefully making it easier in the next 10-20 years for the girls coming through to thrive within the women’s professional game.
MF: Has cricket always been about fast bowling for you?
LF: I was always a fast bowler. I have a twin sister and the coaches looked at us and decided I was the pace bowler and she was the off-spinner – although I have no idea why! For some reason, I can’t really remember starting to bowl. I talk a lot and am a fast-paced person so maybe it just matched my personality! I’ve always enjoyed it and, in the last couple of years, I’ve been able to push on to try to be the quickest in the world.
MF: How much of your bowling technique is natural and how much have you been able to develop it through coaching and training?
LF: Some of it is quite natural – that’s why no two people bowl the same. It’s very individualised and you pick what feels right for you. As your career progresses and you get more coaching, you tend to spend more time on technique. I was quite tall and gangly when I came into the England set-up and, over the last couple of years, they’ve just tried to tidy that up. During the season, we’re really busy – it’s only when we get a break do we prioritise technical work or anything that will prevent injury.
MF: How do you make your bowling action repeatable, time after time?
LF: It takes a long, long time. I don’t think many people could bowl the same ball repeatedly, except perhaps someone like Jimmy Anderson. Human error will always happen. But you need to be consistent within international cricket. There’s not much I can say other than it’s repeating and repeating and repeating. We use a lot of targets to aim at in practice – putting a pair of shoes to hit in front of a wicket if you’re bowling a yorker. We also work on strength in gym: if you have to repeat an action, the stronger you are, the easier it’s going to be.
MF: What does a typical training day look like for you?
LF: We would come in in the morning, workout in the gym, run and do our cricket skills. I would obviously prioritise bowling, but a batter would work on batting. We tend to do fielding practice as a team. We do some speedwork during the warm-ups too and make sure we’re ticking over with our sprint work. Our recovery programme is more about nutrition and sleep, as well as stretching programmes for injury recovery and prevention. Pilates is also part of the programme to improve flexibility. I tend not to bowl more than two days in a row – there’s a golden rule that states not more than four times a week, not more than three days in a row. But we don’t have the same day, every single day so it’s quite hard to describe a typical training day.
MF: Are there specialist exercises you would do to bolster your speed?
LF: From the outside, it would probably not look that different. But my programme is definitely more about hamstring and quads development, as well as core strength, whereas a batter’s programme is based on power. I know I need to get stronger. What helps me bowl fast is having a strong core (planking) and strong glutes and quads (hip thrusters). We work on a five-week programme, starting with higher reps and lower weights and building so by the end we’re doing 3-5 reps but on a heavier weight.
MF: How much is being a good bowler about confidence and mental strength?
LF: I’ve always said cricket is a good leveller. You can get a wicket and be on top of the world and then the next batsman comes in and hits you for six. It can be an immensely challenging sport because it it’s so up-and-down. But cricket is such a long-format game, even over 20 overs, and some people’s downfall is that they dwell on each ball. I try not to do that: it can be challenging to stay level-headed but, once you’ve done that, you can find more success.
MF: What would your advice be to anyone looking to get into cricket?
LF: Some of my best memories are playing adult men’s cricket on a Saturday and just enjoying the social aspect of it and having a team around you and getting behind you. It doesn’t happen often in cricket because, although it’s a team sport, it’s still quite individual – you bowl, bat and catch on your own. It’s such a nice feeling to have your teammates supporting you.
• Catch Lauren Filer in action as England take on India in the IT20 and ODI series – get your tickets now at ecb.co.uk/tickets/england
