‘The pinnacle of leg-spin’: King emulates Warne’s Gatting ball

As a young leg-spinner, Alana King was inspired by footage of Shane Warne’s ball of the century to Mike Gatting at Old Trafford in 1993.

On Tuesday in India, as Australia sealed a 3-0 sweep of the ODI series in Mumbai, King just about replicated it with one of the most delectable leg-breaks you will ever see.

Alana King’s dream ball.

The Australians were well on the way to a big win when King sized up the Indian all-rounder Pooja Vastrakar, and there was plenty of turn in the pitch – just as there had been in Manchester 30 years ago.

But it was still the stuff of dreams to conjure a delivery with the right length, curve and bite to beat the striker’s forward prod and flick the outside of the off stump, much to skipper Alyssa Healy’s delight as she pointed straight at an exultant King. It had been Healy’s uncle, Ian, standing up to the stumps to Warne three decades ago.

“When you watch that delivery, and obviously being a leg-spinner, you see how many revolutions Warnie put on the ball, the drift he got – it just makes it so much more special,” King told ESPNcricinfo last year.

“That’s the dream of a leggie. You’ve put that many revs on the ball, got that nice drift, pitched outside leg stump and hit the top of off stump. That was incredible. Every leg-spinner dreams of that and it was just as perfect, perfect a leg-break as has ever been bowled.

Alana King in action in Mumbai.Credit: Getty

“[I] don’t think anyone comes close to bowling something like that. He was a once-in-a-generation player for that reason, the amount of spin that he got. That was early on in his Test career too, so what he went on to do – over 700 Test wickets – it all started with that ball. Think that delivery will always be the pinnacle of leg-spin.”

King has said that the secret to bowling the perfect leg-break is to ensure as smooth a rhythm as possible through the crease, as shoulder, wrist and fingers work in unison to generate as many revolutions as possible.

“It’s all about rhythm,” she said. “You want to be as smooth as possible in every delivery. When you release the ball, you know it’s got so many revs on it and everything is smooth.

“When I release a good leg-break, I’m like, I’m in with a chance here. Natural variation can happen, but I know when I’m bowling at my best, everything is smooth, it’s not forced.”

In 1993, Warne had tried to focus on similar thoughts before he twirled down his “ball from hell” to flummox Gatting.

“I was a bit nervous, actually,” he said in 2013. “My thought process was, ‘Just try and get your rhythm first, try and spin a couple of big leg-breaks first, to get inside their head that the wicket is turning’.

“As soon as it released out of my hand, it felt really good. I didn’t realise, I don’t think, until we looked up at the screen ... I remember us all standing in the middle saying, ‘That was a pretty good ball’. Then I looked up and I went, ‘Geez’. And I was feeling pretty good after that because it was a pretty good cherry.”

Australia’s Phoebe Litchfield gets creative.Credit: AP

Phoebe Litchfield’s career-best hundred spurred Australia to a 190-run belting of India.

Litchfield (119) and captain Alyssa Healy (82) led Australia to 7-338 – their highest total against India – before the home side crumbled for 148 in reply at Wankhede Stadium.

Litchfield, named player of the match and series after finishing with 260 runs at 86.67, followed her match-winning ton by taking a stunning catch at cover, diving full-stretch to pluck a gem with her right hand to intercept Amanjot Kaur’s powerful cover drive.

Litchfield and Healy dominated from the outset, putting on 189 off 179 balls for the first wicket - the best by any opening pair against India.

“I learned from each innings,” 20-year-old Litchfield said. “The first innings [game one] was a challenge and the second was even more of a challenge.

“I got a bit lucky in all three innings but it was nice to get three figures.”

Trailing 2-0 in the series, India needed to pull off the greatest run chase in the history of women’s ODIs for a consolation win but a steady flood of wickets cruelled their slim hopes.

The spoils were shared with five bowlers striking: Georgia Wareham (3-23), Annabel Sutherland (2-9), King (2-21), Megan Schutt (2-23) and Ashleigh Gardner (1-38).

With AAP

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