Lauren looks back on winning winter

It was a busy winter for Lauren Filer.

The Western Storm seamer featured in England A’s IT20 series and England’s Test match in India before playing her part in the IT20 and ODI series wins in New Zealand.

We caught up with Lauren earlier this week to talk about her impressive rise and to look ahead to 2024.

“Winning both series in New Zealand was really good and we can take a lot of positives from that,” she said. “I probably didn’t perform as well as I wanted to but hopefully I can get the chance again soon to show what I can do. New Zealand is an amazing place to play cricket and it was lovely to be able to explore both islands. It was also really exciting to be able to experience different conditions, especially in Wellington, which is one of the windiest places that I’ve ever played cricket!

“The conditions weren’t to different to an English summer. Good pitches had pace and bounce and towards the end of the tour it was a bit slower and turned more for the spinners like it does towards the end of an English season. The conditions were more like I’m used to than they were out in India.”

Does Lauren still get nervous when pulling on an England shirt?

“Within the team I feel really welcomed and like I’m a part of the group,” she said. “But I still get that nervous buzz before I play. I made my IT20 debut over there and that was nerve-wracking because that format is the one which I feel doesn’t suit my bowling as much. I definitely had some nerves before that game! I think it’s always good to have nerves and I’m sure the best players in the world still get that feeling.”

Lauren’s focus now shifts to Western Storm.

“I know that everyone’s been training really hard and I’m super excited to get going,” she explained. “Dani Gibson and I have both been talking about how excited we are to be coming back to play for Western Storm. I feel like the squad progressed a lot last season and over the winter and hopefully we can show that on the pitch.

“I always want to put in performances for Storm and If I do that it helps when it comes to being selected for England. My priority is playing well for Storm. I need to make sure that I don’t get too far ahead of myself and just focus on the here and now. Hopefully I can do that and have a great summer.

“I not the kind of player who sets personal targets statistically, but in 2024 I want to put in match-winning performances for Storm and make an impact in The Hundred. If I do that then hopefully I can get selected for as many England series as I can.”