Alana King, Victoria-born 29-year-old leg spin wizard on day one of the ongoing day-night Ashes Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), pushed Australia ahead of England.
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Despite Nat Sciver-Brunt’s tenacious 51, King’s masterclass saw her reach her career-best 4-45 as England was bowled out for 170 on day 1. Australia’s pursuit of an unprecedented multi-format Ashes clean sweep got off to a good start as King, who entered the Ashes Test as the series’ top wicket-taker, continued to bowl well with the pink ball.
Tammy Beaumont, the opener for England, mentioned King as a bowler she would have to watch out for at the MCG in an interview with the BBC’s Test Match Special this week.
“They’ve bowled exceptionally well,” Beaumont said. “I think Alana King in particular has put some serious revs on the ball and spun it every single game, so it’s going to be a challenge. For me, it’s about backing up, backing in my defense, and then knowing really clearly what my attacking options are.
“At some point you can’t just let the bowlers bowl, we’re going to have to put something back on them. They’ve pretty much had it on a penny in some of the games, so we’re going to have to make them miss a lot more and put the pressure back on them somehow.”
England was down 3-64 at tea after early strikes from Kim Garth and Darcie Brown, but King appropriately produced a brilliant display of leg-spin from the Shane Warne end. In the ten overs prior to the dinner break, England lost 3-15, with off-spinner Ashleigh Gardner bowling Amy Jones (3).
When Alyssa Healy appeared to have hung onto a low edge from Sciver-Brunt, who was then on 44, at first slip, King nearly had a fourth. However, Healy seemed unsure, and replays revealed her fingers weren’t underneath the ball as the umpires went upstairs to verify for the clean catch.
Sciver-Brunt proceeded to score a half-century off 121 balls, but King eventually defeated the England vice-captain, dismissing her for 51, the fifth time in seven innings this tour.
After five and a half years, King’s performances in the current Ashes series have demonstrated her development into one of the top leg-spinners in the world. The 29-year-old has been dominating England in all six white-ball matches.
Sophie Ecclestone, the top-ranked spinner in the world, has taken 11 wickets at 22.27 and gone at 5.83 per over, while King has taken 14 wickets at 11.35 and 4.91 economy rate this series going into the Test.
In a series when England’s batters have struggled against the spinning ball, averaging just 13 as a team, she has taken the crucial wicket of Sciver-Brunt twice, setting the pace for the Australian spin trio.
With a combined total of 20 wickets, Alana King and Georgia Wareham created history in the multi-format Ashes, setting a record for the most number of wickets taken by Australian women’s leg-spinners in a single series. The bowling attack of Australia is greatly enhanced by their memorable performances which can be clearly seen from King’s side in the ongoing Ashes 2025 series as well.
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