'Warne-esque' Alana shines at the King's HQ
There is something about Melbourne and leg-spinners. Just as the legendary Shane Warne did with such theatre and magic throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Alana King is the latest to master a very difficult craft to bamboozle English batters during an Ashes tour. King has taken 18 wickets in the series so far at an average of just 11.33.She has regularly worked her way through England's top order with guile and control, combined with the classical theatrics of a leg-spinner, which makes every ball an event in itself. And fittingly, in front of two Shane Warne stands - one at the Junction Oval for the second one-day international and now in the MCG Test - she has taken 4-25 and 4-45 respectively. "King has been devastating. She gets the ball drifting in and then turning away, almost unplayable deliveries," former England fast bowler Steven Finn said on TNT Sports."She has been Shane Warne-esque. It was quite fitting that she was getting the ball to rip and spit so much in front of his stand."
It also seems that King has managed to add the sneaky mind-games of a leg-spinner into her armoury, alongside her consistency and sharp turn. When she comes into the attack, you are on the edge of your seat in anticipation and England know it - all their gameplans to spin seem to fly out of the window. The visitors, already 12-0 down and staring down the barrel of a clean sweep in the multi-format series, were bowled out for 170 on day one and such has been Australia's dominance, it felt like King had won the battle before she had even bowled a single ball. She managed to remove three of England's set batters - Sophia Dunkley was caught and bowled for 21, Danni Wyatt-Hodge nudged the ball to short leg for 22 and Nat Sciver-Brunt was bowled for the fifth time in a row for 51, the only notable contribution of the innings. "King is a fantastic bowler and she sets brilliant plans to different batters as well," England all-rounder Georgia Elwiss said on TNT Sports. "Once she got into her groove, it looked like she was going to get a wicket every single ball she bowled. The skill level and the control she has, particularly for a leg-spinner, is unbelievable."
King's contribution ensured that England's challenge of avoiding a 16-0 drubbing is already looking unlikely. She was offered valuable support by the rest of a formidable attack that has regularly left England bewildered over the past three weeks. Seamer Kim Garth finished with 2-13 from 10 overs, Darcie Brown took two wickets with her pace and off-spinner Ash Gardner offered plenty of control with her 1-30.England have got to think creatively if they are to take the remaining nine Australian wickets as quickly as possible, with all-rounder Tahlia McGrath's place at number eight an ominous reminder of their strength in depth. Left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone is likely to play a key role considering the turn that King produced, as England may rue the omission of Charlie Dean's off-spin in favour of the extra seamer in Ryana Macdonald-Gay. But while Ecclestone is the world's best bowler and could hold the key to hopes of an England fightback, the series as a whole belongs to King for now. "I'd probably have Sophie Ecclestone as the best all-format spinner because of her ability to bowl at every stage of an innings," Finn added. "In a T20 game, she's bowling the 18th or 20th over. But Alana King, at the moment, is the most dangerous for taking wickets."
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