Lauren Filer: England’s fast bowler who could lead them to Women’s Ashes 2025 glory against Australia

Eighteen months ago, Trent Bridge, the 2023 Women’s Ashes Test, England unleashed a raw, pace-bowling gem on Australia. It just wasn’t who we expected it to be.

Issy Wong had burst onto the scene at 20 years old when making her England debut across all three formats the year prior, and only three months earlier she’d taken a stunning hat-trick in the inaugural Women’s Premier League in India to see Mumbai Indians into the final.

Wong was swiftly becoming the face of the Ashes, her image plastered across almost every advertising campaign relative to the 2023 series, only for her to be overlooked for selection in the Test match in favour of the relatively unheralded Lauren Filer.

And it’s the recently turned 24-year-old who now carries the weight of an expectant England on her shoulders as they gear up for an Ashes series Down Under, starting January 11, hopeful of a first series win over the old enemy for 11 years.

“It’s definitely going to be our hardest challenge,” Filer told Sky Sports. “Australia are a very, very good side but it’s just about taking it head on and using all that we’ve done over the last couple of months – probably ever since the last Ashes, to be honest.

“It obviously nerve-racking, but I think we’re in a really good place and, actually, the nerves are good nerves, it’s not ‘we’re not ready’ nerves. We’re just excited to get out there and play.”

The last time Filer took on the Aussies, her very first delivery in international cricket on that sunny June 2023 day in Nottingham saw the debutant’s extra burst of pace rapping Elyse Perry on the pads – but, crucially, via an inside edge that meant the lbw decision was overturned on review.

Filer would go on to take four-for in the match, including Perry twice – bowling both her and Tahlia McGrath in back-to-back overs as part of a fiery second-innings burst – as she showed both the skill and the temperament to succeed at the elite level.

England have managed Filer’s career carefully since, however, with Wong perhaps serving as a cautionary tale – struggles with the latter’s run-up which were painfully evident during her only appearance that 2023 summer, in a T20 against Sri Lanka, restricting her to just three white-ball appearances since, all coming against Ireland.

Filer didn’t feature again over the remainder of that 2023 multi-format Ashes, despite having so rattled Australia in the Test match. It was clear that England were playing the long game.

And the fast bowler has had to remain patient since. She has played in 12 of England’s 18 ODIs played since Australia’s visit 18 months ago and just seven of their 28 T20 internationals, including being overlooked for selection in the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup, on the admittedly spin-friendly surfaces of the United Arab Emirates.

But during England’s recent series win in South Africa, Filer was more of a mainstay of the attack, exploiting the sort of quicker and bouncier tracks that can also be expected in Australia.

Her 3-32 in the second ODI win in Durban was the fourth instance in which the speedster has taken three-for over her 12 caps in the 50-over format – the stumps of Tazmin Brits, Sune Luus and Nonkululeko Mlaba all dismantled to devastating effect in a performance that was only overshadowed by a Charlie Dean hat-trick.

Such a display was far from a fluke either, with eight of Filer’s 20 ODI wickets – at an average of just 17.65 – having been ‘bowled’, her added pace which consistently tops the 70mph mark regularly rushing opposition batters and beating their defences.

“With the role I play, I know that I’m not going to necessarily get it right every ball because I’m trying to bowl as fast as I can,” Filer said.

“I think having the backing from [head coach Jon] Lewis and [captain] Heather [Knight] means it’s actually a really healthy place to be in… because maybe before I played for England I didn’t necessarily feel like that.

“Plus, I feel like the pitches over here [Australia] suit me quite well. I’m looking forward to the series, hopefully get on the pitch and have some fun.”

Filer further stepped up on the tour of South Africa in December, filling in for the injured Kate Cross as part of a devastating new-ball partnership with Lauren Bell as England beat the Proteas by 286 runs in the series-ending Test match.

Bell was rightly named Player of the Match for her stunning figures of 8-76 back in Bloemfontein, but Filer’s 3-65 should not be overlooked and, on another day, it could well be her earning the richer rewards.

And who’s to say her day won’t come in the Ashes? Filer’s far from the unknown she was back in the summer of 2023, but she is still just as capable of striking fear into that Australian top-order – not that she’s underestimating England’s esteemed opponents.

“They’re a very very good side, they have been for many years now,” Filer said.

“It’s in their home country and obviously everyone around us is going to want us to lose. Looking back on the home Ashes a couple of years ago, I know how much the crowd made me want to do well, so I know how they can sort of affect everything.

“But I think for us, it’s all about focusing on what we do as a team. South Africa was really good prep for that as well, we played some very very good cricket over there.

“I think we’re in a good place. It’s definitely going to be a challenging few weeks, but as long as we keep pushing ourselves, that’s the key.”

The face of this year’s Ashes? You might just be looking at her.

Women’s Ashes 2025 schedule

All dates and times UK and Ireland

• First ODI: 11.30pm, Saturday January 11 – North Sydney Oval
• Second ODI: 11.05pm, Monday January 13 – Junction Oval, Melbourne
• Third ODI: 11.05pm, Thursday January 16 – Ninja Stadium, Hobart
• First T20I: 8.40am, Monday January 20 – Sydney Cricket Ground
• Second T20I: 8.40am, Thursday January 23 – Manuka Oval, Canberra
• Third T20I: 8.10am, Saturday January 25 – Adelaide Oval
• Test: 3.30am, Thursday Jan 30-Sunday Feb 2 – MCG, Melbourne