Women’s T20 World Cup 2024: Lauren Bell ready to unleash remodelled action
Bell first made her name in the inaugural season of The Hundred in 2021. She was a tall seamer with decent pace, who had an uncanny ability to hoop an inswinger into a right-handed batter.
An international debut came the following summer.
But after two impressive seasons at the top of the women’s game, and after England had drawn but not won the Ashes, Bell decided she wanted more.
“I sat down with Mase [England women’s fast-bowling coach Matt Mason] and Lewy [head coach Jon Lewis] and said ‘how am I going to push my game forward?'” Bell says.
It was decided the very thing that made Bell good was actually holding her back.
Her action allowed her to bowl that inswinger but the way she fell to the left in her delivery stride made it all-but impossible to swing the ball the other way.
“I had back pain quite a lot,” says Bell.
“And secondly bowling inswing was my only option because I fell away so much.
“We said to get better I would like more pace, more bounce and in time it would allow me access to swing the ball both ways.”
A decision to change was made but there were doubts at first.
“For a good few months I would do a couple of session and be like ‘no I don’t want to change it’,” Bell says.
“It took until I got back from New Zealand in March to jump in two feet.”
There have been countless hours of drills with Mason away from the cameras. Lewis, himself a former bowling coach, has overseen the changes.
“We did so much technical stuff,” Bell says.
“What I have done is tried to get more upright by having two feet on the floor, dragging my back foot so it is not in the air and I fall over.”
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