Alana King should play a key role for the Australians as they try to defend the women’s ODI title won in New Zealand in 2022, but as ever it is tight for places in Alyssa Healy’s team.
With left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux back from injury, and fellow leg-spinner Georgia Wareham admired within the set-up for her batting ability, King’s prolific wicket-taking over the past three years may not be enough to guarantee her place.
Alana King is a weapon with the ball for the Australian side.Credit: Getty Images
The Australians are expecting flat wickets in India so may want to extend their batting order, whereas in Sri Lanka later in the tournament, those pitches may spin more.
If King not being guaranteed of a place in the side sounds harsh, it’s another reminder of the incredible depth in the Australian women’s team, whose members are highly motivated to retain the ODI cup won in New Zealand in 2022 after stumbling to early elimination from the T20 tournament last year in Dubai.
Back then, the 29-year-old King was also left out, but she used her baseball mindset to avoid dwelling too much on the snub, and went on to play perhaps the match of her life in the pink-ball women’s Ashes Test at the MCG in March.