Alana King has taken 301 wickets across Test, ODI and T20 cricket, and exactly 200 of them have come in the shortest format. Those numbers place Alana King among the most productive wrist-spinners in the women's game. Her bowling is the reason she plays, and its value shows in every format: an economy of 2.72 in Tests, 4.24 in ODIs and 6.91 in T20.
Leg-spin is the hardest craft in cricket to master and the easiest to punish when it goes wrong. King's record is built on the rare combination the art demands: wickets and control together. Across 254 matches for Australia and six T20 sides, she has taken wickets at an average close to 20 in white-ball cricket while keeping her economy under seven an over even in T20 cricket.
The Career at a Glance
| Format | Mat | Runs | Avg | SR | HS | Wkts | Bowl Avg | Econ | Balls/Wkt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 6 | 74 | 10.57 | 39.6 | 21 | 15 | 25.73 | 2.72 | 56.8 |
| ODI | 55 | 295 | 18.44 | 99.3 | 51 | 86 | 19.28 | 4.24 | 27.3 |
| T20 | 193 | 861 | 13.05 | 104.9 | 33 | 200 | 21.00 | 6.91 | 18.2 |
| Total | 254 | 1,230 | 301 |
T20 figures include T20 internationals and franchise leagues. Source: CricMind global cricket database (Cricsheet ball-by-ball archive).
Where King Stands in the Game
The figure that sets King apart is the ODI average: 86 wickets at 19.28. In 50-over cricket a spinner usually bowls through the middle overs, where batters are trying to rotate the strike and set up a finish. A wicket every 27 balls in that phase means King does not merely contain. She takes wickets in the period when most spinners are asked only to hold an end.
The T20 record confirms it on a bigger sample. Two hundred wickets in 193 matches is more than one wicket per game, from 3,648 balls at an average of 21.00. Her economy of 6.91 is the number that franchise analysts value most. A leg-spinner who goes at under seven an over across nearly 200 matches is a captain's most reliable middle-overs weapon.
Her T20 career spans six teams: Australia, Trent Rockets, Birmingham Phoenix, UP Warriorz, Melbourne Stars and Perth Scorchers. That covers The Hundred, the Women's Premier League and the Women's Big Bash League, the three main stages of women's franchise cricket.
Format by Format
Test cricket: control in the long game
King has played six Tests for Australia, bowling 852 balls (142 overs) and taking 15 wickets at 25.73. The standout number is the economy: 2.72 runs an over. In Test cricket a leg-spinner who concedes under three an over gives her captain total freedom, holding one end while the seamers attack from the other, and still picks up a wicket roughly every 57 balls.
With the bat she has scored 74 runs in eight innings, with a best of 21.
ODI cricket: the wicket-taker
Across 55 ODIs King has bowled in 54 innings, a measure of how central she is to the attack. She has delivered 2,348 balls, conceded 1,658 runs and taken 86 wickets. An average of 19.28 at an economy of 4.24 is an outstanding return for a spinner in 50-over cricket.
Her batting has its moments too. She has scored 295 ODI runs at a strike rate of 99.3, with a best of 51. Remarkably, she has hit as many sixes (17) as fours (17), the signature of a lower-order batter whose job is to swing hard at the end of an innings.
T20 cricket: 200 wickets
The T20 column is the biggest: 193 matches, 191 bowling innings, 200 wickets. That means she has bowled in almost every game she has played. Her strike rate of a wicket every 18.2 balls puts her among the more penetrative spinners in the format.
The bat is a bonus. She has scored 861 T20 runs at a strike rate of 104.9, with 59 fours, 28 sixes and a best of 33.
What the Numbers Show
First, the economy improves as the format gets longer, and it is good in every format. 6.91 in T20, 4.24 in ODIs, 2.72 in Tests. That shows a bowler who adjusts her pace and length to the format rather than bowling one way everywhere.
Second, the ODI record is the strongest. An average of 19.28 is lower than both her T20 average (21.00) and her Test average (25.73). The 50-over game, with its long middle phase, seems to suit a wicket-taking leg-spinner best of all.
Third, she is a bowler first. King has bowled in 254 innings across the three formats, against just 138 innings with the bat. Her 1,230 runs are useful, but her 301 wickets are the reason every team sheet starts with her name.
To see how she compares with other bowlers across eras and formats, browse the all-time cricket records and the ODI hub.
King in Context
Australia's women have been the dominant side in the modern game, and their attacks have usually been built around pace and seam. King's record shows how much a top-class wrist-spinner adds to such an attack. Seamers take the new ball and the death. The leg-spinner owns the middle overs, takes wickets when the ball is old and soft, and makes batters take risks to score.
Wrist-spinners who can do that in all three formats are rare in any era. A record of 301 wickets with an economy below seven even in T20 cricket puts King firmly in that small group.
FAQ
How many wickets has Alana King taken?
Alana King has taken 301 wickets across all formats: 15 in Tests, 86 in ODIs and 200 in T20 cricket (internationals and franchise leagues combined).
What is Alana King's ODI bowling average?
Her ODI bowling average is 19.28 from 86 wickets in 55 matches, at an economy of 4.24 runs an over.
Which T20 teams has Alana King played for?
Australia, Trent Rockets, Birmingham Phoenix, UP Warriorz, Melbourne Stars and Perth Scorchers.
What is Alana King's highest score?
Her highest score is 51 in an ODI. Her best in T20 cricket is 33 and her best in Tests is 21.