Australian spinner Alana King took the first ever hat-trick in women's The Hundred on Saturday (local time) and was quick to pay tribute to Shane Warne for inspiring her.
King, who recently won a gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, starred for Trent Rockets as they thumped Manchester Originals by 44 runs.
The Aussie finished with incredible figures of 4-15 from 20 deliveries and also took a stunning diving catch when she wasn't causing havoc with her spin.
The match was played at Emirates Old Trafford, the same venue Warne rose to fame with Australia nearly 30 years ago, and King revealed how influential the late king of spin was in her career.
"Will I get my name up here at Old Trafford? That would be brilliant. Hopefully right next to Warnie," King said 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 he inspired to pick up legspin. He was definitely the reason I picked up legspin. 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."
King certainly had some fun on Saturday as the 26-year-old clinched her first ever hat-trick.
"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," she said.
"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."
ALANA KING.
— The Hundred (@thehundred) August 13, 2022
That's it. That's the tweet. #TheHundred 🚀 @alanaking95 pic.twitter.com/CQQO6MzYl0
