The Hundred 2022: "He took poles here for fun" - Alana King pays tribute to Shane Warne following her hat-trick at Old Trafford
Australian women's team leg-spinner Alana King paid a heartfelt tribute to Shane Warne following her hat-trick on Saturday in the third match of Hundred 2022. She said felt privileged to achieve the feat at Old Trafford, where Warne used to take wickets at will.
The 26-year old, playing for Trent Rockets, claimed the wickets of Cordelia Griffiths, Sophie Ecclestone and Manchester Originals' skipper Kate Cross, finishing with figures of 20-13-15-4. It helped the Rockets to a 43-run victory after putting up a paltry 119 in Manchester.
Speaking after the game, the 26-year old said she would be delighted to get her name up on the Old Trafford honors board and feels Warne would be proud to see her perform. The leggie also cited the late cricketer as the reason she took up wrist spin.
She stated, as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo:
"Will I get my name up here at Old Trafford? That would be brilliant. Hopefully right next to Warnie. He took poles here for fun, and I'm sure he was looking down pretty happy. He was a massive inspiration, but it wasn't just me. It was kids all around the world who he inspired to pick up legspin. He was definitely the reason I picked up legspin. Hopefully he's been proud watching down on me spin a few."
Warne bowled the ball of the century to Mike Gatting at Old Trafford in 1993. The Victorian took 21 wickets in three Tests at 20.05 at the venue. Meanwhile, the Commonwealth gold medalist missed out narrowly on a hattrick in the group stage against Barbados.
"To get our first win was pretty special" - Alana King
The all-rounder further underlined that sticking to their gameplan was crucial after posting a modest total and that dismissing the openers set the wheels in motion.
"The atmosphere was absolutely incredible. To get our first win was pretty special. We knew we were under par with the bat, and we needed to stick to our game plan with the ball. We wanted to take some early wickets in the powerplay, which we did. As soon as we got their two openers out, we knew the pressure was back on them."
Debut delight for @alanaking95...
...and for the 2% of #TheHundredFantasyGame players with the Trent Rockets' allrounder in their team!
#TheHundred https://t.co/1sTYG2bZAK
The Rockets will next face Birmingham Phoenix in Birmingham on Monday, while the Originals will lock horns with the Welsh Fire on Tuesday.