Women’s Ashes: “Was a really good day,” Lauren Filer on ‘surreal’ Ashes debut

Nottingham [UK], June 23 (ANI): England debutant Lauren Filer said she wasn’t expecting to have such an impact on her debut which saw her take the crucial wickets of Beth Mooney and Ellyse Perry.

Filer finished a rain-interrupted day with a figure of 2 for 65, including the crucial wicket of the experienced Ellyse Perry, caught at gully for 99.
“It’s weird. I don’t think it sank in until I was on the pitch. So I didn’t feel too bad until probably about five minutes before and five minutes on the pitch. Once I fielded my first ball I think I settled down a bit, but it was definitely a bit nerve-wracking at the start,” Filer was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

“That’s a great start and that’s what I want to do as well, so I’m very happy. It’s a bit of a surreal experience, but it was a really good day, I’m a bit tired now but I really, really enjoyed it,” she added.

“I was a bit shocked. I’m not usually lost for words but I didn’t really know what to say to Lewy [Lewis] when he told me,” Filer said of learning she had earned her maiden senior cap.

The ICC’s No. 1 bowler in both white-ball formats, Sophie Ecclestone, who is only two years older than Filer but has played 110 more matches at this level, made life easier for her seam-bowling team-mates by bowling a massive 28-over spell with her left-arm spin and taking three wickets, including Alyssa Healy for a second-ball duck.

“She’s a bit of a bowling machine. Bowling for two hours, that’s pretty impressive. I’ve never really seen anyone do that before, but she is still standing and she’s going strong,” Filer said.

“It’s great that she can kind of tie up an end and that she’s consistent and we can rely on her. It’s a big, big role to fill and she does it so well. It makes the other bowlers at the other end feel comfortable doing what they’re doing because I know that she’ll go for nothing. So if I go for a for couple of boundaries she’s got my back at the other end, that’s really good,” said the Test debutant.