Fit Ferling feels the need for speed

Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars quick Holly Ferling is feeling fitter and stronger than ever and is setting herself some lofty goals for the season ahead.

Just quietly, she's aiming for world domination.

The right-arm fast bowler is just 20, but she's already experienced her fair share of ups and downs since her international debut at age 17.

Having burst onto the international scene during Australia's successful World Cup campaign in 2013, Ferling's progress was then hampered by the fast-bowler's curse – stress fractures in her back – which severely interrupted her 2014 season.

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She fought back to reclaim her place in Australia's squad for last year's Women's Ashes in England, but was below her best throughout the tour as she struggled to recapture her pace and accuracy, going wicket-less in the three matches she played.

It takes a tough, determined sort of character to fight back from those sorts of obstacles.

Fortunately for the 20-year-old, who hails from Kingaroy in rural Queensland, she possesses those qualities in spades.

Now reaping the rewards of the long hours of rehabilitation, Ferling is focused not only on cementing a place in Australia's attack, but on finding the sort of speed that will strike fear into the hearts of the world's best batters.

"When I was coming back from my back injury I was able to work on some strength stuff then, but it was just about trying to get me back to being fit as opposed to trying to push my boundaries," Ferling told cricket.com.au.

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"I'm no longer the young, 17-year-old anymore, so I can start lifting a little more and try to refine my action and just bowl faster.

"I want to be bowling 120kph consistently, but I'd love to hit 125kph.

"My lifetime goal is to get to 130kph. If I did that, that's my life made, pretty much.

"I think I can get there, I’m still in some ways growing into my body and getting stronger, so my overall goal is to be the most threatening bowler in the world."

To achieve that need for speed, Ferling expects to be spending plenty of time in the gym.

"It's also about refining your technique, but if you’re strong at the crease, if you have the strength at the last minute to pull it all together, that’s when it really matters.

"I'm also finalising a few things with my run up, so it feels effortless. That’s how it should be, when I'm bowling my fastest it feels easy.

"I'm just trying to replicate that feeling every time."

Overcoming the disappointment of injuries and form slumps has also given Ferling the confidence she needs to achieve those goals.

"Last season, I’d have said my debut was my proudest moment in cricket," she reflected.

"But cricket throws you plenty of challenges. Last year I experienced a few, with form slumps and trying to come back from that, but not believing in myself because I felt I couldn’t bowl fast.

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"But then to have it all click again in the Big Bash, that’s the one thing you really pride yourself on, being able to come back from setbacks whether it be injury or form.

"And having the faith that one day it’ll click again, you haven’t lost it."

That faith was something Ferling had to draw on during the Southern Stars' World T20 campaign in India earlier this year, when she unable to break into the playing XI as the conditions dictated a spin-heavy bowling attack.

To ensure her confidence wasn't dented by being relegated to carrying drinks, Ferling devised her own system by which to judge her achievements throughout the tournament.

She kept a detailed log of every training session, writing down every ball she bowled, to shift her focus away from selection concerns.

"I wasn’t playing much over in India and I was often basing my success or failure on whether I was picked or not, rather than how I was training," she explained.

"And a lot of different things happen with selection, team balance, the pitch, whole heap of factors, so being picked isn't just about whether you’re playing well.

"So for me, my little book grounds myself. I realised I could tick off things in a training session.

"I set goals each training session to hit and doing that was how I judged my success, versus whether I was picked or not, which helped me stay focused."

But a shift in focus to the 50-over format over the next six months – with the 2017 Women's World Cup in England less than a year away – means Ferling is likely to be presented with more opportunities during upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka, South Africa and New Zealand.

"As bowlers we love one-dayers because we get to bowl more. The length allows you to get into your spell and bowl at different points of the game.

"My goal is to be pushing for that playing XI come the World Cup."