On Day 3 of the Solely Check within the Girls’s Ashes 2025 on the iconic Melbourne Cricket Floor, Australian leg-spinner Alana King delivered a masterclass in spin bowling, leaving the English batting lineup in tatters. King’s exceptional spell noticed her declare a sensational five-wicket haul within the second innings, together with the prized scalp of England’s Sophia Dunkley.
Alana King’s beautiful spin bowling
Within the thirty seventh over of England’s second innings, King delivered a ball that had shades of Shane Warne’s magic. Tossed up on leg-stump, the supply lured Dunkley ahead in protection. Nonetheless, the sharp flip away from the bat utterly beat Dunkley’s edge and crashed into the highest of the off-stump, a sight that had the Melbourne crowd roaring in approval. Dunkley managed simply 4 runs off 3 balls, together with a boundary, earlier than falling sufferer as soon as once more to King’s brilliance.
Right here is the video:
The ballpic.twitter.com/CQprQLCo6R
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) February 1, 2025
Curiously King dismissed Dunkley within the first innings, through the thirty ninth over, King delivered a superbly floated ball that drifted in the direction of the leg stump. Dunkley, making an attempt to remain leg-side of the supply, misjudged the flight and drove it off the outer half of her bat straight again to King, who accepted the catch with glee. A short umpire’s evaluation confirmed it wasn’t a bump ball, sealing Dunkley’s dismissal after a gritty 21 from 71 balls.
Additionally READ: Twitter reactions: Scientific Australia thrash England within the Pink-Ball Check to register a 16-0 whitewash at Girls’s Ashes 2025
Alana King’s five-star present steals the highlight
King’s brilliance wasn’t restricted to her battles with Dunkley. Within the second innings she tore by way of the English batting lineup with precision, talent, and variations that left the batters clueless as within the thirty fifth over, after organising Nat Sciver-Brunt with a sequence of crazy leg-breaks, King unleashed a wonderfully disguised googly. The ball pitched round center, slid previous the within edge, and struck Sciver-Brunt on the pads. A evaluation confirmed it was hitting the highest of leg stump, sending Sciver-Brunt again after a fast 18.
Tammy Beaumont, England’s most resilient batter, fell sufferer to King’s artistry within the forty first over. Making an attempt to chop a sluggish, turning supply exterior off, Beaumont managed solely an inside edge that ricocheted onto her stumps. Falling simply three runs wanting a half-century, her dismissal left England reeling.
Within the 53rd over, Ryana MacDonald-Homosexual couldn’t resist the temptation of a juicy full toss drifting in. She tried an aggressive shot however lacked the ability and placement, sending the ball straight into the palms of Darcie Brown at deep mid-wicket.
King’s remaining act got here within the 69th over when she lured Lauren Filer right into a false shot with a crazy supply on leg stump. Filer chipped it straight to Annabel Sutherland at brief mid-on, sparking wild celebrations from the Australian staff. This remaining dismissal not solely secured King’s five-wicket haul but additionally sealed Australia’s emphatic victory.
16-0! Australia clear sweep the #Ashes! pic.twitter.com/RTuXEZWCcx
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) February 1, 2025
Additionally READ: AUS vs ENG: Followers go gaga over Beth Mooney’s record-breaking ton on Day 3 of the Pink Ball Check | Girls’s Ashes 2025
This text was first printed at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Instances firm.