Watch: Alana King re-produced Shane Warne's 'ball of the century' to dismiss Sophia Dunkley in the Women's Ashes Test at the MCG while bowling from the end named after the Australia great.
King once again rattled through England in their second innings in Melbourne, taking three wickets in four overs in the middle session on day three of the day-night Test. She trapped Nat Sciver-Brunt lbw for 18 with a delivery sliding into the leg side, past the inside edge and onto the front pad. Although the England vice-captain opted for a review, the delivery was shown to his all three reds, smashing into the top of leg stump.
In her next over, she produced some magic to send Dunkley back to the dressing room after facing just three deliveries. Getting plenty of drift into leg side, the ball pitched on leg stump and gripped in the surface, spinning past the face of Dunkley's bat and clipping the top of off stump. The ball drew comparisons to the legendary Warne delivery which dismissed Mike Gatting in the first Test of the 1993 Ashes. Coincidentally, King was bowling from the end of the stand named after Warne after his death in 2022.
Earlier in the day, King had recognised the significance of her spell in front of the stand named after a player who she has previously referenced as her idol. She described the experience as "pretty nostalgic" and that she hoped "he's smiling down, having a couple of beers and enjoying a few ripping past the outside edge".
Warne took 56 Test wickets at the MCG during his career, with only Dennis Lillee taking more (82).
At the dinner break on day three, England had lost seven wickets, six over the course of the previous session, King going on to dismiss Tammy Beaumont as well. Ash Gardner got the wickets of Amy Jones and Danni-Wyatt-Hodge to leave England with only their tail to come.
Watch: Alana King recreates ball of the century from Shane Warne Stand end at the MCG
Alana King. From the Shane Warne Stand end.#Ashes pic.twitter.com/2Hb3umbKaE
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) February 1, 2025
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
