Alana King bags maiden contract as CA announce women's list for 2022-23 season

Australia leg spinner Alana King has received her maiden contract with Cricket Australia for the upcoming season after flaunting class in recent times. She proved her mettle while debuting in Women’s Ashes and carried her form in Australia’s unbeaten run in the World Cup.

It is to be noted that King came to Australia’s side during the Ashes and suddenly rose up the ranks with powerful performances on the back of which, she also received an upgrade during the series. Players without CA contracts can also bag upgrades round the year by adding on 12 upgrade points. (Four points for a Test match, two for an ODI, and two for a T20I). Talking in the same context, CA’s Head of Performance (Women’s Cricket) and National Selector, Shawn Flegler lauded King for her match-winning performances across formats in recent times.

“Alana King came into the side during the Ashes and hasn’t missed a beat, she produced match-winning performances across all three formats and thoroughly deserves her spot on the list. After the loss of Georgia Wareham to injury, we were in a fortunate position to be able to replace her with another outstanding leg spinner in Alana. It’s a real credit to Alana and the Australian Cricket system to have someone of her calibre waiting in the wings ready to go,” said Shawn Flegler as quoted by Cricbuzz.

Sophie Molineux out of the list due to long time injuries

Another big development in the contract list is the absence of left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux. Molineux has been dropped from the list following an injury-plagued season that kept her out of action for almost 12 months. On the other hand, Tayla Vlaeminck and Georgia Wareham have retained their places on the list despite dealing with injuries for a long while.

“Sophie Molineux is unfortunate to miss out on a contract, she’s been an important part of the side over the last couple of years. Unfortunately, she’s missed a large amount of cricket due to various injuries, but we feel she can continue to play an important role with a more consistent run of matches. We’ll continue to work with Sophie and have full confidence in her finding her way back into the squad,” Flegler added.

Cricket Australia women’s contract list, 2022-23: Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Rachael Haynes, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Meg Lanning, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham