Lauren Bell has picked up 12 wickets in eight matches for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the ongoing Women's Premier League.
Credit: PTI Photo
Over the years, Royal Challengers Bengaluru's pace attacks have arrived at tournaments with a lot of hype but left with their reputation damaged.
However, in the ongoing Women's Premier League, they have transformed that image with bowlers being at the forefront of their march to the final, the second time in three editions.
While there might have been stutters along the way, Lauren Bell's quality with the ball has been giving RCB’s bowling an identity shift.
The 25-year-old, who plays with RCB skipper Smriti Mandhana for Southern Brave in The Hundred, was picked up for Rs 90 lakh in the first-ever WPL mega auction last year.
Since the start of the competition, Bell has taken a wicket every 16 balls, picking up 12 at an average of 15 and an economy of 5.63.
To put it in perspective, only two bowlers in the top 20 wicket-takers' list have conceded runs under six an over.
In T20s, seamers who can move the ball both ways are always an asset, especially those who can do it from traditionally defensive lengths. Add to that Bell's tall frame (six-feet plus) and the ability to vary her pace, and you have a complete package.
The quality of Bell though is how her spells have been simple. The English import has dedicated bowling to Test match lines and lengths, especially in the powerplay.
The plan has been straightforward. To right-handers, bowl one outswinger on a fuller length and invite the batter for the drive, then bowl one slightly shorter to push the batter onto the backfoot, and finally bowl one in the channel and try to induce a mistake.
And to left-handers, Bell has targeted the pads with deliveries that are much fuller, aiming to bring the keeper and slips into play.
And the results have been outstanding. A whopping 116 dot-balls in the 32 overs across eight matches. And the next best is Marizanne Kapp with 89 dots.
Bell has also consistently bowled at least two overs of dot-balls in every game, averaging 14.5 dots per game. She has a dot-ball percentage of 60.4, which is also the highest in the competition for bowlers with 80 or more dot balls, and there are only three of them in the tournament.
“I have found a very nice rhythm and the ball is coming out really well. The main thing for me is clarity on my role and understanding what the team requires. I am happy to be able to contribute to the team and put in performances that help us get over the line,” Bell said on Thursday.
While Bell’s new-ball bowling has garnered much attention, she has also delivered the goods at the death, extracting bounce with the older ball, using her height, and utilising the back-of-the-hand slower one to great effect.
While simplicity does not often reap its rewards in the T20 game, Bell has so far lived up to the team coach Malolan Rangarajan's pronouncement “fantastic signing” while keeping things very simple.