Spin gamble pays off with return of the King

Alana King stormed back into Australia's XI on Sunday, producing one of the best deliveries of her career as she and fellow leg-spinner Georgia Wareham stole the show.

Wareham might have played a key role in keeping King on the sidelines through the first four white-ball matches of the series, but their displays at Southampton made a decent case for more frequently including both in Australia's XI.

And King insists the pair are not competitors, after they took four wickets between them on a day where Australia played four spinners.

Jess Jonassen and Ashleigh Gardner completed the quartet as the tourists rolled out 35 overs of spin to stifle England's batters.

King delivered a near-perfect ball to bowl Tammy Beaumont, a delivery that drifted into the right-hander, pitched on leg, spun past the edge of the England opener's bat and took the top of her off stump to remove her on 60.

She followed up with the crucial wickets of Heather Knight and Alice Capsey to finish with 3-44.

"I haven't seen it, but people keep telling me it was a great ball," King said of the Beaumont dismissal.

"My dad keeps screaming out on the balcony that it was a ripper. No doubt I will have a look at it later.

"But I'm just glad to be back in the squad and glad we got the win.

"All I can do was control what I could control and that's train really well and if opportunity came, just try and grab it with both hands, which hopefully I did today."

Wareham rattled the stumps of Beaumont's opening partner Sophia Dunkley but it was her cameo with the bat that was decisive.

Facing the final over of Australia's innings, Wareham hammered 26 runs – three sixes and two fours –off quick Lauren Bell, giving her team momentum and a crucial advantage in a game they ultimate won by three runs.

King earned her Australian debut in January 2022 at the expense of Wareham, who was sidelined for more than 12 months after rupturing her ACL.

Both were included in Australia's T20 World Cup squad in South Africa in February, playing in the same XI on three occasions, but King was dropped for the semi-final and final in favour of left-armer Jess Jonassen.

With Australia's pace attack baring the brunt of England's aggressive top-order, the tourists elected to play all four of their frontline spinners on Sunday, with King replacing speedster Darcie Brown.

"I don't see 'Wolfie' (Wareham) as a competitor," King said on Sunday. "I think all our spinners work together really closely, whether it's at training or even in the game.

"We have a big role to play and we knew today playing four spinners (we were) going to bowl a lot of overs.

"We learn off each other and we challenge each other, whether it's in a game or at training, but I think we all love playing alongside each other – today it was a was a great opportunity for all four of us to play together."

CommBank Ashes Tour of the UK 2023

Australia lead multi-format series 8-6, have retained Ashes

Test: Australia won by 89 runs

First T20I: Australia won by four wickets

Second T20I: England won by three runs

Third T20I: England won by five wickets (DLS)

First ODI: England won by two wickets

Second ODI: Australia won by three runs

Third ODI: July 18 at The County Ground, Taunton, 1pm (10pm AEST)

Australia squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, HGrace Harris, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham

England ODI squad: Heather Knight (c), Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Alice Capsey, Kate Cross, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Danielle Gibson, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones, Nat Sciver-Brunt (vc), Issy Wong, Danielle Wyatt