Lauren Bell: England seamer on her first World Cup and what makes her tick as a bowler

Lauren Bell wears two bracelets every time she plays for England.

They are home-made – one says “focus” and the other says “reset” – and they form a small part of Bell’s rapid development from promising youngster to attack leader in the space of three years.

The 24-year-old is preparing for her first 50-over World Cup, being played in India and Sri Lanka, and goes into it as one of the game’s in-form seamers.

Since the start of 2024, she has been England’s most consistent pace bowler with 24 wickets in 16 one-day internationals at an economy rate a fraction above five runs per over, and finished as The Hundred’s leading wicket-taker with 19 scalps in nine matches.

Bell has an infectious optimism, an endearing love of her craft and is impressively clear in what makes her tick.

“I learned quite quickly in cricket that I really need to focus to get the best out of myself – I can get distracted and I can drift quite quickly,” Bell told BBC Sport.

“As a bowler, things can change so fast so a bad ball can suddenly make a bad over, a bad over can turn into a bad spell.

“So when I was changing my action last summer, I made myself some bracelets with key words on them – it might sound a bit silly, but it’s really taught me clarity, how to win the next ball and see that the best thing as a bowler is you always have the opportunity to come out on top and to win the over or the battle.”

The previous 50-over World Cup took place in New Zealand in 2022, before Bell had debuted internationally, but she was taken as a travelling reserve having started the winter in Australia with England A.

It ended with Bell bored and alone in quarantine, when the rest of the squad had gone home, having contracted Covid-19. It is, therefore, of little surprise that she is keen to make her mark on the latest edition when England get their campaign under way against South Africa on Friday.

“It is crazy,” said Bell, when asked about the trajectory of her career since that tournament.

“Looking back [to 2022], even just being a reserve, it was way beyond my expectations.

“To see how far I’ve come and how quickly everything has moved, and the responsibility I’ve got to opening the bowling and sometimes leading the attack, I have loved it all.”