After Alana King’s impressive comeback to the national
side, Australia’s skipper Alyssa Healy has encouraged the legspinner to have a
huge impact on the upcoming tour of India.
After being excluded from the T20I series and the
first one-day match against the West Indies, King recorded his best figures of
his career on Thursday, taking 3 for 16 from five overs.
The 27-year-old gave Australia a commanding lead after
the visitors were reduced to 107 for 8, but the match at Melbourne’s Junction
Oval was called off due to inclement weather.
King was called in as a replacement for injured quick
Darcie Brown, and will look to build on her performance ahead of the India
tour.
“It’s hard [for batters] because she challenges
both edges of the bat,” Healy said. “You’re kind of playing for that
big, ripping legspinner because she puts so much work on the ball, but the
natural variation of one skidding on actually makes her more effective.
“She gets a lot of batters lbw, especially in Big
Bash cricket, so she’s a proper handful for us. Pink ball, white ball, red ball
– it doesn’t really matter.
“She’s going to be a great asset to our side, so
hopefully she can maintain that and keep sticking her hand up for
selection.”
King spent a month in Perth working hard on
controlling her length after returning home from the Hundred in August and is
reaping the benefits.
“Her speed through the air at the moment and her
control with her spin and her length has been impressive right throughout the
week,” Healy said. “It was actually really easy throwing her the ball
as the first spinning option knowing that she was going to get the job done.
“I’m pumped to see her back out here for
Australia, and the passion and the energy that she brings is great for our
group. It was nice to see her get rewarded.”