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Cricket news 2022: Alana Kin hat-trick in Hundred women’s competition, Shane Warne tribute video

Australian leg-spinner Alana King has become the first cricketer to take a hat-trick in the Hundred women’s competition, achieving the rare feat on debut for the Trent Rockets on Saturday evening AEST.

The 26-year-old helped roll the Manchester Originals for 76 at Old Trafford, finishing her 20-delivery spell with stunning figures of 4/15 including 13 dot balls, the best bowling performance by a female Rockets player in the competition’s short history.

Watch The Hundred. Every Match Live & Exclusive to Fox Sports on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >

After removing West Indies veteran Deandra Dottin for a second-ball duck early in Manchester’s run chase, Player of the Match King returned to tear through the Originals middle-order.

The Victorian clean-bowled Cordelia Griffith before trapping rival spinner Sophie Ecclestone on the front pad the very next delivery.

And King completed the hat-trick by bowling Originals captain Kate Cross with a beauty that spun through the gate and crashed into the middle stump, leaving Manchester in dire straits at 7/45.

The Aussie tweaker, donning her trademark sunglasses, celebrated by raising an index finger and sprinting towards cover, reminiscent of the late Shane Warne’s unforgettable 700th Test wicket at the MCG in 2006.

King’s hat-trick took place on the same pitch that childhood hero Warne delivered his iconic “Ball of the Century” in 1993.

“Will I get my name up here at Old Trafford? That would be brilliant. Hopefully right next to Warnie,” King told Sky Sports post-match.

“He took poles here for fun, and I’m sure he was looking down pretty happy.

“He was a massive inspiration, but it wasn’t just me. It was kids all around the world who inspired him to pick up leg spin. He was definitely the reason I picked up leg spin. Hopefully he’s been proud watching down on me spin a few.

“When I was a bit younger, I did a couple of sessions with him. All I remember from that was him saying, ‘Spin it hard and have some fun’. I live by that every single day.

“That’s my first hat-trick. Not even in juniors did I take one. My first hat-trick at Old Trafford, I couldn’t have written it.

“As soon as I got that first wicket, I knew I had to keep aiming for the stumps. I’m just stoked that I can play my part for this team.”

King would have taken four wickets in four balls if the Rockets had reviewed her following delivery, which struck wicketkeeper Eleanor Threlkeld on the pads.

King will be particularly relieved to tick off the career milestone after missing out on a hat-trick during the recent Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

During Australia’s group stage match against Barbados at Edgbaston, captain Meg Lanning dropped a regulation catch at first slip on the hat-trick delivery.

King also starred with the bat on Saturday, smacking an 19 not out off nine deliveries at the death, including two sixes, to steer the Rockets, who were without Lanning and England all-rounder Nat Sciver for personal reasons, towards a defendable total of 5/119.

English wicketkeeper Abigail Freeborn top-scored for the Rockets with an unbeaten 45 off 38 balls, and the Originals came nowhere near chasing the modest total, ultimately suffering a 43-run defeat.

“In the first half, I thought we bowled and fielded really well, and we were happy chasing 120. But then the second bit, we didn’t play like we wanted to play,” Originals coach Paul Shaw said.

“Alana King’s a quality performer who will be around for a long time. She bowled really, really well. But we didn’t play her that well.”

King also held onto a tough outfield catch to remove England’s Ami Campbell for 13 and cap off a superb all-round performance.

“Pretty special but as I said, I’m here to do my job for the team and I’m glad it came off today,” King said.

“It was a fresh wicket today, it was a bit dry and hoping there was some spin and there was. Stoked to get the win and happy I can contribute.

“The atmosphere was absolutely incredible. To get our first win was pretty special. We knew we were under par with the bat, and we needed to stick to our game plan with the ball. We wanted to take some early wickets in the powerplay, which we did. As soon as we got their two openers out, we knew the pressure was back on them.”

The last 10 months of King’s career has been nothing short of extraordinary — after winning a Women’s Big Bash League title with the Perth Scorchers in October last year, she made her international debut in all three formats during the recent home summer.

She was a crucial member of Australia’s undefeated Ashes campaign and World Cup triumph in New Zealand before winning a Commonwealth Games gold medal in Birmingham earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Australian superstar Ellyse Perry also impressed on Hundred debut for the Birmingham Phoenix with a blistering 58 (31) against the Welsh Fire in Cardiff.

Player of the Match Perry combined with compatriot Sophie Molineux for a crucial fourth-wicket partnership of 82 in 54 balls on the way to a 19-run victory.

The Rockets will next face Birmingham at Edgbaston on Monday, with the first ball scheduled for midnight AEST.

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Categories
Sports

Cricket news 2022: Alana Kin hat-trick in Hundred women’s competition, Shane Warne tribute video

Australian leg-spinner Alana King has become the first cricketer to take a hat-trick in the Hundred women’s competition, achieving the rare feat on debut for the Trent Rockets on Saturday evening AEST.

The 26-year-old helped roll the Manchester Originals for 76 at Old Trafford, finishing her 20-delivery spell with stunning figures of 4/15 including 13 dot balls, the best bowling performance by a female Rockets player in the competition’s short history.

Watch The Hundred. Every Match Live & Exclusive to Fox Sports on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >

After removing West Indies veteran Deandra Dottin for a second-ball duck early in Manchester’s run chase, Player of the Match King returned to tear through the Originals middle-order.

The Victorian clean-bowled Cordelia Griffith before trapping rival spinner Sophie Ecclestone on the front pad the very next delivery.

And King completed the hat-trick by bowling Originals captain Kate Cross with a beauty that spun through the gate and crashed into the middle stump, leaving Manchester in dire straits at 7/45.

The Aussie tweaker, donning her trademark sunglasses, celebrated by raising an index finger and sprinting towards cover, reminiscent of the late Shane Warne’s unforgettable 700th Test wicket at the MCG in 2006.

King’s hat-trick took place on the same pitch that childhood hero Warne delivered his iconic “Ball of the Century” in 1993.

“Will I get my name up here at Old Trafford? That would be brilliant. Hopefully right next to Warnie,” King told Sky Sports post-match.

“He took poles here for fun, and I’m sure he was looking down pretty happy.

“He was a massive inspiration, but it wasn’t just me. It was kids all around the world who inspired him to pick up leg spin. He was definitely the reason I picked up leg spin. Hopefully he’s been proud watching down on me spin a few.

“When I was a bit younger, I did a couple of sessions with him. All I remember from that was him saying, ‘Spin it hard and have some fun’. I live by that every single day.

“That’s my first hat-trick. Not even in juniors did I take one. My first hat-trick at Old Trafford, I couldn’t have written it.

“As soon as I got that first wicket, I knew I had to keep aiming for the stumps. I’m just stoked that I can play my part for this team.”

King would have taken four wickets in four balls if the Rockets had reviewed her following delivery, which struck wicketkeeper Eleanor Threlkeld on the pads.

King will be particularly relieved to tick off the career milestone after missing out on a hat-trick during the recent Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

During Australia’s group stage match against Barbados at Edgbaston, captain Meg Lanning dropped a regulation catch at first slip on the hat-trick delivery.

King also starred with the bat on Saturday, smacking an 19 not out off nine deliveries at the death, including two sixes, to steer the Rockets, who were without Lanning and England all-rounder Nat Sciver for personal reasons, towards a defendable total of 5/119.

English wicketkeeper Abigail Freeborn top-scored for the Rockets with an unbeaten 45 off 38 balls, and the Originals came nowhere near chasing the modest total, ultimately suffering a 43-run defeat.

“In the first half, I thought we bowled and fielded really well, and we were happy chasing 120. But then the second bit, we didn’t play like we wanted to play,” Originals coach Paul Shaw said.

“Alana King’s a quality performer who will be around for a long time. She bowled really, really well. But we didn’t play her that well.”

King also held onto a tough outfield catch to remove England’s Ami Campbell for 13 and cap off a superb all-round performance.

“Pretty special but as I said, I’m here to do my job for the team and I’m glad it came off today,” King said.

“It was a fresh wicket today, it was a bit dry and hoping there was some spin and there was. Stoked to get the win and happy I can contribute.

“The atmosphere was absolutely incredible. To get our first win was pretty special. We knew we were under par with the bat, and we needed to stick to our game plan with the ball. We wanted to take some early wickets in the powerplay, which we did. As soon as we got their two openers out, we knew the pressure was back on them.”

The last 10 months of King’s career has been nothing short of extraordinary — after winning a Women’s Big Bash League title with the Perth Scorchers in October last year, she made her international debut in all three formats during the recent home summer.

She was a crucial member of Australia’s undefeated Ashes campaign and World Cup triumph in New Zealand before winning a Commonwealth Games gold medal in Birmingham earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Australian superstar Ellyse Perry also impressed on Hundred debut for the Birmingham Phoenix with a blistering 58 (31) against the Welsh Fire in Cardiff.

Player of the Match Perry combined with compatriot Sophie Molineux for a crucial fourth-wicket partnership of 82 in 54 balls on the way to a 19-run victory.

The Rockets will next face Birmingham at Edgbaston on Monday, with the first ball scheduled for midnight AEST.

.

Categories
Sports

Cameron Smith smashed for ‘cowardly’ LIV Golf Series response, world view, reaction, video

Cameron Smith’s imminent defection is being viewed as the biggest “coup” to date for LIV in their quest for legitimacy.

Until now, The PGA Tour and its supporters could argue that the rebel league is merely a competition where washed up pros go to fill their bank accounts. No longer.

While tour veterans Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia were the initial names linked to the financially lucrative competition, the domino effect can’t be denied.

Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson – three of the biggest names on the US PGA – have taken the money and left.

Watch LIVE coverage from The USPGA Tour with Fox Sports on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >

Cameron Smith's pending defection to LIV Golf has been met with a mixed reception.  Photo: Getty Images
Cameron Smith’s pending defection to LIV Golf has been met with a mixed reception. Photo: Getty ImagesSource: AFP

Smith’s signing however is being seen as a game-changer.

At 28, he is only now coming into the peak of his powers, he is the most recent major winner and he overran Rory McIlroy, the biggest name in world golf since Tiger Woods, to claim the Open Championship.

Nonetheless, Smith’s pending defection, which the Australian remained coy about ahead of the FedEx Cup playoff opener, hasn’t been filled with overwhelming excitement and a popping of corks.

Indeed, there’s an overarching sense of disappointment, inevitability and sadness about Smith’s likely defection; financial security has won over legacy and moral compass.

McIlroy reveals tension with LIV golfers | 01:30

Writing for the UK Telegraph – the same publication that broke Smith’s defection on a deal worth more than $AU140 million – chiefs sports writer Oliver Brown emphasized that Smith’s defection “might” capture an audience that eventually garners a TV deal.

“His signing is arguably the Saudis’ most significant coup to date, and could represent a tipping point for the competition – a moment where a gilded freakshow turned into a sporting event which might demand the world’s attention,” Brown wrote.

At the heart of the appeal of LIV Golf, Brown hit the nail on his head when he revealed the ridiculous sums of money today’s stars were forgoing by resisting a move from the PGA Tour.

“Against this backdrop, you can see why the initial contact from Greg Norman, LIV’s ringmaster, became an offer Smith could not refuse,” he wrote.

“(Henrick) Stenson, a 46-year-old who has failed to reach the weekend in seven of his last nine majors, is the type of player he should be beating for breakfast. And yet the Swede, quickly forgetting his defenestration of him as Ryder Cup captain, earned more for a glorified three-day exhibition at Bedminster than Smith did for winning the 150th Open at the Home of Golf.

“From Smith’s perspective, this is an imbalance that urgently needs correcting. If he takes home the maximum loot of £3.93 million on his LIV debut in Boston next month, he would eclipse even the £2.98 million he earned at the Players Championship in May, in what was then the richest prize ever offered by a single golf tournament. Why should the leading man tolerate making less than some forgotten members of the chorus line?”

Cam Smith and others set to join LIV | 01:30

Brown continued by highlighting the ridiculous Saudi-funded money on offer but said the sheer financial sums couldn’t, at least at this point, match the theatre, drama and excitement on show at the PGA and DP World Tours.

“The numbers are so absurd, the golf itself has been rendered a sideshow. When Stenson holed the decisive putt at Bedminster, for the grandest payday of his career, the moment was greeted by the faintest rustle of polite applause. Even the winner himself did not look unduly bothered,” Brown wrote in The Telegraph.

“Here lies the sadness in Smith’s defection. With his talent in the fullest bloom, he deserves to be playing in front of the largest galleries, for the highest stakes. LIV ultimately offers him neither. It is a realm with all the money but none of the prestige. Smith, you sense, understands what true glory in golf means. As he gave his acceptance speech on the 18th green at St Andrews, the Claret Jug in his hand, the quaver in his voice suggested he was genuinely overwhelmed.

“For Smith to be swapping such moments for hollow, show-me-the-money exercises is a cause for lament. At one level, his departure from him in his prime from him demonstrates the scale of the Saudis’ ambitions. But at another, it is the grimmest possible reflection of the schism they have wrought.”

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Australia’s Cameron Smith’s decision not to answer whether he is joining LIV has been described as “cowardly” and “lame”. Photo: Getty ImagesSource: AFP

At the USATodayAndy Nesbitt, was far more scathing.

In particular, the publication took aim at Smith’s decision to deflect questions around his future and offer no definitive answer on whether he intended to shift allegiances.

“In doing so, (Smith) tarnished a reputation that just a few weeks ago was one of the best in professional golf,” Nesbitt wrote.

“Smith didn’t deny it and he didn’t confirm it, he just said he had “no comment” on that, which is a really lame way of ducking the question while also pretty much confirming the report to be true.”

Nesbitt went as far as saying his responses were “cowardly.”

“But to not come out with a definitive answer when asked about it before the start of the PGA Tour playoffs is a pretty cowardly thing to do.

“Now it’s a little harder to cheer for a guy who just a few weeks ago was the coolest golfer in the world.”

Terse Cam refuses to address LIV rumors | 00:43

Thomas Kershaw from The Timestoo, wrote that Smith’s pending defection was the competition’s “biggest coup”.

“It has been very easy up until now to dismiss the gimmicks of LIV’s format — featuring shotgun starts, 54 holes and no cuts — as a watered-down exhibition lacking the essentials of elite competition. Critics could point to the players who shrugged off missed putts knowing their money was guaranteed beforehand and the rebel series was derived as a refuge for those who had cashed in on the twilight of their careers,” Kershaw wrote.

“The signing of Smith is a significant riposte to that narrative. LIV may already have a horde of relatively recent major champions but Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka have battled injuries and indifferent form while Phil Mickelson still seems a ghost of his former self. Smith, 28, is the first to defect who is not just at the peak of the game but still entering the prime of his own.

He continued: “Smith remains LIV’s biggest coup to date and also symbolizes another aspect of their revolt that could bring considerable success. Smith had been vocal in urging the PGA Tour to bring a major golf event back to Australia but while those calls fell on deaf ears, LIV — and Norman — have been only too keen to hear them. When LIV expands into a 14-tournament league next year, it is reportedly scheduled to stop in Sydney in April, where Smith is expected to feature in an all-Australian team.”

Australian Cameron Smith is coming under renewed scrutiny ahead of the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind on August 10, 2022 in Memphis. Photo: Getty ImagesSource: AFP

Closer to home, James Erskine, the former manager of the late Shane Warne, who also managed Greg Norman in the past, told The Sydney Morning Herald the emergence of LIV was “destabilizing”, but didn’t accept the argument that players had blood on their hands given the competition is being backed by Saudi Arabia.

“It’s destabilizing the fabric of professional golf. I’m on the board of the PGA of Australia and we have to look after all professionals and professionals coming up. They all start as amateurs somewhere and are nurtured through the pathway so they could play golf, and then they get cards and qualify professionally,” he said. “So many people do business with Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, where they have very different rules and regulations and different respect for women.

“But you can name just about any company and they will probably have a link to Saudi Arabia, Rolex, Range Rover, Rolls Royce, Ferrari. Everyone’s doing business with them, so I think it’s very unfair to turn around and say because you’re a professional golfer, you shouldn’t deal with Saudi Arabia.”

Meanwhile, Erskine said Smith would be welcomed to play in Australia even if he joins LIV Golf.

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