The leg-spinner bowled at an economy of under three against South Africa.
Alana King is the new queen of spin-bowling! The Australian leg-spinner sent shivers down the spin of the South Africans to scalp a brilliant seven-wicket haul in the 26th match of the Women’s World Cup 2025. Each of her wickets was hard earned and had class stamped all over them.
With this seven-wicket haul, King is now the third highest wicket-taker in the tournament so far, with 13 wickets so far (as on October 25). The 29-year-old was the fourth bowler to be brought into the attack, and certainly inflicted a lot of damage.
King now finds herself amid glory, in one of the best possible records that a bowler can hold. The right-arm leg-spinner now holds the record for the best spell in Women’s World Cup history. She gave away only 18 runs for her seven wickets.
From the 20th to the 21st century; here is a list of the top five spells in the history of the Women’s World Cup till date.
If you switch on the television with a leg-spinner bowling her third over, you would expect one, two or at maximum, three wickets being scalped by the bowler. But for someone who did that in this game, Alana King had scalped four wickets in her first 15 deliveries.
To add to that, she had not conceded a single run for her first four wickets. Most of her dismissals in the game were bowled, and that proves how lethal she was in her seven overs.
The second best spell in Women’s World Cup history dates way back in 1982, in a game between New Zealand and India. The leg-spinner from New Zealand, Jackie Lord scalped six wickets for a mere 10 runs, rattling the Indian camp.
To add to that, the Indians were chasing a modest total of 81 in the match which was being played in Auckland. However, the visitors fell like a pack of cards and could only put up 37 runs on the board, losing the game by 43 runs. The highest scorer for India was Rajeshwari Dhokalia with 10 runs beside her name.
Imagine a bowler playing just two matches in her ODI career, but still ending up with her name in this elite list. Glenys Page picked up six wickets for just 20 runs against Trinidad & Tobago women in a fixture that was being played at St. Albans.
New Zealand, batting first, scored a competitive 197 on the back of a structured 70 from Lynda Prichard. However, the Trinidad & Tobago women were skittled out for 61, with Page taking six wickets out of the ten. New Zealand won the game by a whopping 136 runs.
The left-arm off-spinner is one of the best bowlers England have produced in terms of spin-bowling options. Her simple, yet effective action speaks volumes of her ability to trouble the batter and cause damage instantly. That is what she did against South Africa in 2022.
Bowling second, Sophie Ecclestone was brought into the attack as a sixth bowling option. She picked six wickets, giving away 36 runs – which is pretty good for a bowler who was brought on last. Over the years, Ecclestone has rose up the ranks to become one of England’s mainstays.
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The Final of the Women’s World Cup in 2017! The stage could not have been bigger than this for Anya Shrubsole to make a mark for her country. She did and how! The medium pacer scalped six wickets to send India packing and helped England to the World Cup title.
England put up 228/7 in the first innings, which was a good score for a Final. Shrubsole sent Smriti Mandhana packing in her first over itself, but the next few overs were silent for the medium pacer. However, she ended with six wickets, three of which came in a span of 13 deliveries.
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