'I don't know how this happened' - Bell on leading England's attack

Time has moved fast for England bowler Lauren Bell.

There was a breakout in the first season of The Hundred in 2021, before England debuts the following year, and three World Cups and two Ashes series since.

Becoming a £140,000 signing in The Hundred and a Women's Premier League winner with Royal Challengers Bengaluru helped boost her Instagram following to 2.2m - more than Joe Root and Harry Brook combined - and she has become an increasingly senior member of England's side.

A position that was filled by iconic seamers Anya Shrubsole and Katherine Brunt, and latterly by Kate Cross, is now Bell's.

Aged 25, she is the leader of England's pace attack.

"I hadn't really comprehended the fact that maybe I was," Bell tells BBC Sport.

"With Crossy leaving, Katherine and Anya, slowly I just filled into that spot and I guess now I am.

"It does feel crazy.

"I don't know where the time has gone or how this has happened.

"It is exciting and cool and a job that I really love."

Bell's ascension was accelerated by England dropping seamer Cross last summer.

It left Bell as the most experienced of a pace group that includes Issy Wong and Lauren Filer, plus all-rounders Danielle Gibson, Em Arlott and Freya Kemp.

"I played a lot with Crossy," says Bell.

"She was like a big sister when I came to England and took me under her wing.

"I would still go to her with anything if I was struggling."

Bell's role as a senior player has come to the fore since Christmas, despite England's lack of competitive matches since their 50-over World Cup campaign ended in the semi-finals in October in India.

In their place, coach Charlotte Edwards took a 30-strong group to South Africa, the established internationals plus a smattering of the best youngsters, and split the players into two squads for a five-match series which marked the start of the serious build-up to this this summer's T20 World Cup at home.

Edwards has since likened the quality to full internationals.

"It was a really exciting camp," Bell says.

"We had a meeting and plan at the start and Lot [Edwards] said we want it to be as competitive as it can possibly be.

"Playing against your team-mates and friends, you do have that extra bit of competitiveness and it is really hard because they know exactly what you are thinking."

Image caption,

England play New Zealand in their first match of the summer at Chester-le-Street on 10 May

England's players have further T20 camps over the coming weeks, as well as their fitness testing which Edwards introduced after taking over last year - a topic much discussed after criticism during last year's Ashes but former captain Edwards believes has now been put to bed by improvements.

Around those camps, Bell, whose Hampshire side play Essex on Saturday, and England's other players, will be made available for the early rounds of the domestic 50-over competition which begins this weekend.

After that they have only six T20s, three against New Zealand and three against India, before their T20 World Cup campaign begins against Sri Lanka on 12 June.

It is nine years since England's 50-over World Cup victory in 2017, which stands as their last trophy win - a point not lost on Bell.

"We haven't won anything in a while and that is not a nice place to be as a team," she says. "Everyone is motivated to turn it around."

England's men are going through their own identity issues following this winter's Ashes defeat, something the women's side experienced to a lesser extent after their 16-0 loss in Australia last winter.

Bell was speaking at St Albans Cricket Club as part of the England and Wales Cricket Club's Get Set Weekend, where volunteers across the country get their club's ready for the new season.

It will be from clubs like this where the support Bell hopes can make the difference will come.

"There's obviously three really big countries - India who are in a great place at the moment, Australia who are really dominant and I guess we have got the home advantage, so who knows," Bell says.