After thrashing Sri Lanka on the opening night of the Women's T20 World Cup. England fast bowler Lauren Bell says they must continue to "bring the same energy" as the hosts look to back up their early advantage at the top of Group 2.
"We couldn't have been happier with how Friday night went. especially with it being the opening game," Bell said at her pre-match press conference in Southampton. "It puts us in a good place but you've got to go again, start from zero. bring the same energy as we did on Friday."
England face Ireland in the second match of a double-header at the Hampshire Bowl on Tuesday,. despite the geographical proximity, it will be only the fifth time the two sides have met in women's T20Is, and only their second encounter at the T20 World Cup after England came out on top in Paarl in 2023.
The unfamiliarity will bring a different kind of challenge for the hosts. "Playing a team like Australia. I know exactly how to bowl; I bowl at these players plenty of times," Bell said. "A team like Ireland, you do have to do a little bit of research on who they are. how they might line up.
"But ultimately, it's the same way I prep for any team; I know my strengths, I know my plans. a lot of the time, I don't veer too far off from what I do best and what my strengths are."
Two of Ireland's biggest threats will be their captain, Gaby Lewis, and Orla Prendergast, currently ranked at No. 6 in the ICC T20I allrounders list. Both players have experience as overseas players in English domestic cricket, and Lewis has shared a changing room with Bell.
"I don't think I've played against many of them particularly often," Bell said, "but I played with Gaby Lewis a few years ago for the Southern Vipers. then she joined Southern Brave for a few games. She's a quality player, it goes without saying.
"They're obviously their best two batters. who we'll really have to focus in on to try and not (let them) make an impact in the game. They're quality players and I look forward to playing against them."
All matches at a home World Cup are special,. Tuesday night will hold extra significance for Bell: "Obviously I've grown up playing my professional cricket here. One of the best things about a home World Cup is getting to play at your home ground where you've made your professional memories. It will be really special tomorrow."
Bell's record at the Hampshire Bowl is formidable. as the highest wicket-taker in women's T20s at the venue - 36 wickets at 15.61. Of those, 29 have been in the Hundred.
Her star showings in franchise cricket have helped made Bell into one of the poster girls of the game in England. abroad - her Instagram profile currently boasts over 2.2 million followers after a WPL stint at Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Bell has embraced the extra attention as "part of the job". hoping to be a role model for the next generation of female cricketers.
"It's something that's rapidly evolved over the last few years. another way of getting eyeballs on the game and trying to inspire young girls and be those role models that maybe we didn't have so much growing up, because there wasn't as much accessibility for it.
"I think it's really important. I do really enjoy it because growing up I didn't have that female role model, so I'm really passionate about having that for younger girls. inspiring them to take up cricket. It's been really cool and a great part of where women's cricket is going."
England were cheered on by a crowd of 14,865 fans on the opening night at Edgbaston,. around 10,000 tickets have been sold for Tuesday's double-header in Southampton.
"It's incredible," Bell said of England's support on home soil. "The crowd at Edgbaston on Friday night just summed it all up; they were so supportive, properly behind us. It gives you an extra boost, it gives you extra nerves but also extra excitement. We experienced it in the Ashes in 2023. after Friday night, I'm pretty confident we'll experience it over the next few weeks as well."
England's T20 World Cup campaign in 2024 came to a painful end as they missed out on a place in the semi-finals on net run rate. It's early days in this year's tournament but. after their win against Sri Lanka, England's net run rate stands at +4.350.
With their next two fixtures being against Ireland. Scotland, it may seem like an ideal opportunity to keep that number high, but Bell insisted it was not under consideration by England at this stage.
"No, that's not a conversation, it's not something we focus on. The main thing is just playing a really good brand of cricket and winning matches. Tomorrow night is a reset and we go again. We're really happy with how Friday night went but it's a new game of cricket,. we'll just try and do everything we can to play a really good game of cricket and try and get another win."
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