Alana King inspires Trent Rockets to opening win

Fresh from a gold medal for Australia in the Commonwealth Games last weekend, King had a near-perfect day with bat, ball, and in the field, as spin dominated the low-scoring affair

ECB Reporters Network | 13/08/2022 at 14:29

Emirates Old Trafford: Trent Rockets 119-5, Manchester Originals 76

Scorecard

Alana King took the first hat-trick in the history of the women's Hundred as the Trent Rockets comfortably beat the Manchester Originals by 43 runs at Emirates Old Trafford.

Fresh from a gold medal for Australia in the Commonwealth Games last weekend, King had a near-perfect day with bat, ball, and in the field, as spin dominated the low-scoring affair.

Seven of the Originals ten wickets fell to spin as they were bowled out in pursuit of 119, after Rockets' Abbey Freeborn top-scored with an unbeaten 45 off 38 amongst a solid bowling and fielding effort from the home side.

But it was King, who scored a quick 19 off nine, claimed 4 for 15 off 20 with the ball, and took a fantastic catch to round her performance off, who will rightly take the headlines on a historic day.

After being inserted, Rockets struggled with the bat in the absence of Australian captain Meg Lanning, who is taking an indefinite break from cricket, as they slipped to 43 for four after 40 balls.

Elyse Villani, standing in as Rockets' captain for Nat Sciver, who missed the match for personal reasons, attempted innovation in her three-ball innings, but was out reverse-sweeping Hannah Jones for just four.

Marie Kelly, Mignon Du Preez, and Bryony Smith also fell for low scores as Originals' captain Kate Cross utilised the fast-changing nature of The Hundred format to introduce all six of her bowlers within the first 30 balls of the match to great effect.

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^{Trent Rockets dominated in the field after struggling with the bat (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)}

Abbey Freeborn was the mainstay of Rockets' innings, using a mixture of power and deftness on her way to 45. She was assisted by King’s aggressive 19, including two big sixes over midwicket – the only maximums of the innings – to drag the Rockets to what looked an under par 119 for five wickets from their hundred balls.

The wickets were shared around for the Originals with former West Indies player Deandra Dottin's 2 for 21 from 20 standing out in restricting Rockets' total.

Recently retired former South African international Lizelle Lee got the Originals off the perfect start, hitting the first ball of the chase for six, and then followed that up with two more fours to take 14 from Katherine Brunt's opening set of five.

However, after Lamb was bowled by Katherine Bryce for zero, it was the Rockets' spinners who made the key contributions. First, the dangerous Dottin was caught off King without scoring before Sarah Glenn took a spectacular outstretched one-handed catch to dismiss the ominous Lee for 17. Glenn then struck with her first ball, getting New Zealand's Amy Satterthwaite stumped.

But it was King's historic hat-trick that the sizeable Mancunian crowd will remember. Cordelia Griffith was bowled for 12, before Sophie Ecclestone was trapped lbw first ball. With the crowd anticipating history, Originals' captain Cross was the victim to the hat-trick ball, as a jubilant King wheeled away in celebration after bowling the England international.

King's near-perfect day wasn't over either, as she took an excellent catch diving forward to dismiss Ami Campbell off fellow leg spinner Glenn for 13.

From there, Originals' innings petered out, finishing in disappointing fashion with a run out to leave them with a heavy 43-run defeat.