Cricket fans had tears in their eyes when Australian leg-spinner Alana King delivered a fitting tribute to the late Shane Warne during Australia’s opening match of the ODI World Cup against England on Saturday.
What a lovely thing this is…
A Victorian leg spinner ripping one past an England batter on today of all days.pic.twitter.com/LUwZJhvJb3
— Henry Moeran (@henrymoeranBBC) March 5, 2022
The Aussies got their tournament off to a perfect start in New Zealand with a tight 12-run win over the old enemy as they strive for their first ODI World Cup triumph since 2009.
Batting first, Australia posted an imposing total of 3/310 on the back of a superb century by opener Rachael Haynes (130 off 131 balls) and captain Meg Lanning’s measured knock of 86 off 110 balls.
But the hero with the ball was King, who channelled her inner Warnie by taking key wickets as England put up a fight in the run chase.
The 26-year-old leggie claimed the scalp of Tammy Beaumont for 74. King tossed a ball up and it dipped, beating Beaumont for flight as the English opener was left stranded out of her crease.
Wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy knocked off the bails and Beaumont was on her way.
King celebrated the wicket by slapping the armbands on her left sleeve in a tribute to Warne, which was quickly spotted by eagle-eyed viewers.
