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Australian spinner Alana King has pushed for T20I selection ahead of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup this year after a brilliant three-wicket haul on her return to the Australian colours in the shortest format after nearly an year.
Before the clash against WI a couple of days back, Alana's last T20I was against New Zealand last year. Alana delivered a statement performance on her T20I return, taking 3/14 in four overs and restricting WI to 121/6 in the chase of 165 runs, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. In 28 T20Is, Alana has 30 wickets at an average of 17.4, with best figures of 4/8. With her performance, she reminded selectors of her quality with less than three months to go for the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026. Australia is in Group A with Bangladesh, India, Netherlands, Pakistan and South Africa. With the World Cup set to be held in England and Wales and competition stiff among the spinners - including captain Sophie Molineux and Georgia Wareham - King remains both realistic and optimistic about her chances of making the squad. "I would love to see four spinners, but I do not think that is going to be the case with the T20 World Cup," King said. "I think it is all going to be conditions-based and we will wait and see, but any chance that I can get the ball in my hand, I am absolutely stoked." "I can only control what I can control, and when given that opportunity, I am glad that I can take it. Hopefully, I keep getting those opportunities and putting my hand up, but I will focus on this series at the moment before we look forward to the World Cup," she continued. Alana has endured a stop-start T20I career so far. Having made her debut in 2022, she was a regular in the side for close to a year before falling out of the setup for an extended period of almost two years. She returned to the fold in early 2025 and featured in five T20Is against England and New Zealand, picking up six wickets. "I have said this before, but they [the selectors] have given me some feedback a few years ago when I took it to my stride and got some great exposure at the Perth Scorchers and they have helped me become a three-phase bowler," King added. "So, no doubt the selectors know what I can do, and I think the team knows what I can do. It's always nice to contribute to good wins and playing a real versatile role. I'm trying not to be just a middle-overs bowler, especially in T20s," she added. King will have further opportunities in the ongoing series against West Indies to strengthen her case for the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026, which gets underway. (ANI)
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