King's magical Warne-esque leg-spinner, incredible Ashes series

Perched on four wickets in the second innings, both Alana King and spin partner Ashleigh Gardner had bowled five overs apiece at England's final batting pairing of Lauren Bell and Lauren Filer.

The two Laurens poked and prodded, with balls fizzing past the stumps and narrowly avoiding the waiting hands of fielders.

King, who had come agonisingly close to adding her name to the esteemed MCG honours board in the first innings with a brilliant 4-46, thought another five-wicket haul would elude her.

"It was painful at times," King told reporters after Australia clinched an Ashes clean sweep with their innings and 122-run win in Melbourne.

"I had to tell T-Mac (Tahlia McGrath); 'If I don't laugh, I might cry here', because it was getting a bit frustrating."

Despite the unusual stalemate in the middle, Australia captain Alyssa Healy never considered taking King out of the attack. Her only advice for the red-hot King: "Toss it up."

With the fourth ball of her 24th-consecutive over from the Shane Warne Stand end of the ground, King had secured her milestone and ended the innings' second-longest partnership. 

Filer chipped the ball to player of the match Annabel Sutherland at short midwicket and celebrations began.

It capped off not just an incredible Test match for King, in which she finished with match figures of 9-99, but an incredible series.

The leg-spinner finished the seven matches with 23 wickets, a record for a multi-format Ashes series, matching the mark set by Gardner in 2023.

For her efforts, she was awarded the Peden-Archdale Medal as the player of the series.

As the team mingled in the dressing room with family members and celebratory drinks in hand, the MCG's signwriter had stay late to ensure the unveiling of King's name on the Australian five-wicket-haul board would be viewed by the entire squad.

Jubilant scenes followed as King was swamped, confirming her as the second female on that famous board, joining fellow leg-spinner Peggy Antonio who captured 6-49 against the English 90 years ago. 

It has marked a remarkable rise for the Victorian-turned Western Australian who has turned herself into an indispensable part of the national side.

The 29-year-old King has only been in international cricket for three years and admitted that focusing on her attitude has helped her on her rise as a top-level cricketer.

"I'm trying to enjoy it as much as I can, and I try to do it with a big smile on my face," King said.

"Because leg-spin is not the easiest gig going around.

"There's going to be hard times when it's not coming out as well as it has been … you might feel great one day and feel absolutely rubbish the next day.

"But it's the work that's gone in, not just in this series, but in the years before that, to get to this level.

"Every time that I put on the Australian shirt, I absolutely have a ball, whether I do well or not."

Two days out from the match, the Australians were going through their paces in the MCG nets, King was bowling to her captain Healy.  

The leg-spinner got one to "fizz" – that's King's self-confessed buzz word of the series – beating Healy's defence and taking the top of off stump.

It was a stunning ball, but one lost to the endless net sessions that are inevitably undertaken by a professional team.

Yet when King repeated the dose on the grandest stage of all with a ripsnorter to England's Sophia Dunkley, the whole world was watching.

The ball pitched well outside leg stump, spun sharply and took the outside edge of the off stump.

The comparisons to Shane Warne's 'Gatting Ball' were immediate, both on broadcast commentary and throughout the press box.

England's resistance was well and truly broken with another piece of King magic.

"I've seen one replay of it, so I can't really give it a lot of thought," King said when asked to reflect on the delivery.

"But I'm just stoked that I did it at the MCG, with a pink ball in hand and with a Baggy Green on as well.

"It's pretty special.

"Midge (Healy) could probably attest that I didn't want to take the ball out of my hand at any stage in both the first or second innings.

"I love bowling long spells. We don't get to do it all that often, so to relish that opportunity, it's something that's pretty high on my list and I'm pretty proud of it."

Commbank Women's Ashes 2025

Australia lead the multi-format series 16-0

First ODI: Australia won by four wickets

Second ODI: Australia won by 21 runs

Third ODI: Australia won by 86 runs

First T20I: Australia won by 57 runs

Second T20I: Australia won by six runs (DLS Method)

Third T20I: Australia won by 72 runs

Australia squad (ODI/T20Is): Alyssa Healy (c), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris+, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath (vc), Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham

England squad (ODI/T20Is): Heather Knight (c), Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Kate Cross*, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Danielle Gibson+, Sarah Glenn, Bess Heath+, Amy Jones, Freya Kemp+, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Linsey Smith+, Danni Wyatt-Hodge

* ODIs only; + T20Is only

Day-night Test: Australia won by an innings and 122 runs

Australia Test squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath (vc), Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham

England Test squad: Heather Knight (c), Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Kate Cross, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Bess Heath, Amy Jones, Ryana MacDonald-Gay, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Danni Wyatt-Hodge

The rivalry resumes with a blockbuster series in Australia until Feb 2. Learn about the remarkable 90-year history at the Women's Ashes Hub