England’s Lauren Filer was a breakthrough star of the 2023 Test match, in which she was an unexpected pick by head coach Jon Lewis, but her raw pace caught Australia off guard, including dismissals of star all-rounder Ellyse Perry in both innings.
Since then, she has featured regularly in all three formats and while she may not be top of any wicket-taking charts, it is that pace which provides Knight with an invaluable weapon.
On bouncier pitches during December’s tour of South Africa, Filer regularly topped 75mph and had the opposing batters hopping around the crease, being knocked over by bouncers, and stumps uprooted from the ground.
She is likely to be presented with similar conditions down under.
Filer can be expensive at times because she is given a simple task by the England management: bowl as fast as she can with the aim of taking wickets, and Knight is prepared to sacrifice some runs for that purpose.
“She bowls a hell of a lot of wicket-taking balls – facing her in the nets is not a very pleasant experience!” said Knight.
“It’s a part of the captaincy I love doing, looking after those bowlers and trying to give them the tools to show off their skills and thrive. I’m really excited to see how they go because bowling out here as a fast bowler can be really fun.”
For Australia, 23-year-old all-rounder Annabel Sutherland has enjoyed a stellar year where she has thrived under greater responsibility with both bat and ball.
Sutherland batted as low as number eight for Australia in the recent T20 World Cup, which is testament to their enviable strength in depth, as she proved with a match-winning century from that position during the 2023 Test at Trent Bridge.
She comes into the series in sparkling form, having scored centuries against both India and New Zealand while also taking 4-39 and 3-39 against the same opponents.
Sutherland is a versatile batter, capable of capitalising on a platform provided by Australia’s stellar top order, but equally able to rescue them if a few early wickets fall.
Alongside batters Georgia Voll and Phoebe Litchfield and quick bowler Darcie Brown, Sutherland forms the core of an exciting yet ominous future for Australia.
