Published: Feb 08, 2013, 11:31 PM (IST)
Edited: Feb 08, 2013, 11:31 PM (IST)
Holly Ferling (right) picked up three wickets for 35 runs against England on Friday © Getty Images
Mumbai: Feb 8, 2013
Her impressive pace bowling helped Australia beat England in a Women’s World Cup thriller in Mumbai on Friday, but young Holly Ferling conceded she was nervous at the start of play as she had to fill-in the big shoes of premier bowler Ellyse Perry who missed out due to illness.
“I found out probably an hour before the game (that I would be playing) we were trying to give Ellyse as much time as possible for her to be well. It was just instant nerves and I was like oh my God I am playing England. It was unreal and I was just excited to get another game,” she told reporters after the match.
Playing in her second match, Ferling grabbed three crucial wickets including that of well-settled Lydia Greenway to give side side a narrow two-run victory over England in a low-scoring Super Six match.
“I was so nervous. I was trying to keep things simple, which is a thing I have struggled with in the past in trying to do too much,” the 17-year-old said.
Asked about some tips she received from the pace spearhead whom she replaced, Ferling said, “She just wished me luck and told me to hit the decks. My goal was to come in and bowl fast.”
Ferling, who is playing in India for the first time and made her debut against Pakistan during the group stages of the World Cup, said the bounce on Brabourne wicket assisted her.
“I went to Sri Lanka for a training camp and the wickets are quite similar. I actually found these ones bounce a bit more. That was good,” she said.
Stating that Perry was her role model, Ferling said, “I have always looked upto her. To do what she has done at a young age, it’s an incredible feat and I don’t think it will be ever done again. To play alongside her against Pakistan and to train along with her and be in the team environment with her, it is just incredible.”
