Aussie spin stars drive one another to new heights

Australia's trio of internationally capped leg-spinners will keep driving each other to new heights, Alana King believes, saying she would embrace the chance to feature in the same XI as recent squad returnee Georgia Wareham.

King made her international debut on January 20 last year, grasping her opportunity in the national side after Wareham ruptured her ACL in October 2021.

She has enjoyed a golden 12 months since, debuting in all formats for Australia and featuring in every one of the 30 matches the world's No.1 side have played throughout that period.

King beat out Amanda-Jade Wellington for that available spot last summer but continued good form from the South Australian and Wareham's recent return from injury mean King cannot rest on her laurels.

"We are all trying to play for our country as much as the person next to us, so it's just about evolving your game and all three of us will be doing that," King told media in Brisbane on Tuesday ahead of the second ODI against Pakistan.

"It's great to see leg-spinners coming through in bulk."

Wareham was a surprise inclusion in Australia's squad for next month's T20 World Cup in South Africa alongside King, despite only making her return from a 14-month injury layoff earlier this month.

Since returning via the domestic one-day competition the 23-year-old has improved with each match she has played.

On Wednesday, while King addressed media at Allan Border Field, Wareham was in action for Victoria just 5km away at Ian Healy Oval, where she finished with figures of 4-38 from 8.1 overs.

"We're just blessed in the Australian cricket community that we've got so many spinners, not just leg-spinners that are coming through the ranks and to have Wolfie back from a pretty significant injury, it's awesome to see," King said.

"She's rolling them out for Victoria at the moment, she'll be in good stead for the World Cup and hopefully we can play a few games together."

Across King's 30 games in the green and gold, the 27-year-old has picked up 35 wickets – 15 in ODIs, 17 in T20Is and three in the single Ashes Test against England – while also helping Australia take out the 50-over World Cup and Commonwealth Games gold.

King said the support and guidance of more experienced teammates and fellow spinners Jess Jonassen and Ashleigh Gardner had been key in that success, while also crediting the leadership of some of Australia's more senior players.

"I've just been loving life, I think it's been a great 12 months of being part of a pretty phenomenal group ... I'm just loving every minute of it," she said.

"(Jess and Ash) have been around the group for so long, and I'm just picking their brains about what the conditions are like or how to bowl to different opposition.

"And then you've got Meg (Lanning) and Moons (Beth Mooney) and Midge (Alyssa Healy) around who are always there to help you."

King, alongside off-spinner Gardner and left-armer Jonassen made life hard for the Pakistan batters in Monday's first ODI, taking four wickets between them and with all going for fewer than 3.5 runs an over.

She hopes there will again be something on offer for the slow bowlers in Wednesday's second game, with the same Allan Border pitch to be used.

"(I'm) feeling great, the ball is fizzing is out of the hand which is what I want to see," King said.

"It's great to see that there is some spin here at AB, I've played here a few times and I haven't seen that much spin, so hopefully there's plenty of that to come in the next game.

"We're all licking our lips when there's plenty of spin on offer because we all offer something different, and we work really tightly as a group."

CommBank ODI Series

Monday Jan 16:Australia won by eight wickets (DLS method)

Wednesday Jan 18:Allan Border Field, Brisbane 11:05am AEDT

Saturday Jan 21:North Sydney Oval, 11:05am AEDT

Buy #AUSvPAK ODI tickets here

Australia ODI squad: Meg Lanning (c), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland

Pakistan ODI squad: Bismah Maroof (c), Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Naseem, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Kainat Imtiaz, Muneeba Ali, Nashra Sandhu, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz, Tuba Hassan