Alana King handed maiden full-contract, Sophie Molineux axed

Cricket Australia (CA) has released its list of women cricketers contracted for the 2022-23 season. While the left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux faced the axe from the 15-member list following an injury-marred season, the promising leg-spinner Alana King has bagged her maiden contract. 

Notably, King took a fifer on her Test debut in the recent Women's Ashes series, gaining an upgrade during the series. Additionally, she had a stunning economy of 3.15 in the ODI series against the visiting English women. 

Further, the Clarinda-born spinner was Australia's second-leading wicket-taker in the recently concluded Women's World Cup with 12 wickets at an economy of 4.52. Thereby playing a significant role in Australia's victorious campaign. Thus, King, who entered the national side as a replacement for Georgia Wareham, has been able to make her impact in a quick time, which has earned her this contract. 

Reacting to King's inclusion in the contracted players' list, Female High-Performance Manager and National Selector, Shawn Flegler, said, "Alana King came into the side during the Ashes and hadn't missed a beat. She produced match-winning performances across all three formats and thoroughly deserved 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." 

On the other hand, talented left-arm orthodox spinner Sophie Molineux has been excluded from the list after missing out on a fair amount of cricket owing to several injuries last year. On being asked about Molineux's exclusion, Flegler said that he expects the tweaker to make her return in a grand style and earn an upgrade for herself by performing alongside her fellow absentees like Stella Campbell, Amanda-Jade Wellington and Grace Harris. 

"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. Players such as Stella Campbell, Amanda-Jade Wellington and Grace Harris have all played for Australia and contributed to the team's success recently, and along with Sophie, have the chance to earn upgrades with consistent performances," Flegler was quoted by Cricbuzz. 

Georgia Wareham and Tayla Vlaeminck have retained their respective contracts despite having long-term injuries. Flagler has clarified that both these players are rehabbing well and are expected to be back in action in the upcoming Australian summer. 

CA Women's contract list for 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

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Deepak Hooda opens up on his relationship with Krunal Pandya

The story of the infamous fight between Krunal Pandya and Deepak Hooda during the latter's stint with the Baroda cricket team is one of the most notorious incidents in India's domestic circuit. There was a lot of talk regarding the signing of the two players for the same franchise considering their strained relationship. However, it seems like the two have decided to mend things, and it has been a smooth sailing ship at the Lucknow camp, thus far. Deepak Hooda complained that Krunal threatened ensured that he didn't play for Baroda again during last year's Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Hooda left the Baroda side after the rift and represented Rajasthan in domestic cricket. But in his recent interview with Dainik Jagran, Hooda has stated that he admires Krunal and thinks of him as his elder brother. This statement from the dynamic young player has undoubtedly put an end to the talks related to his jagged off-field relationship with the former Mumbai Indians cricketer. "Krunal Pandya is my brother, and brothers do fight", Hooda said in an interview addressing 'Dainik Jagran'. "We are playing with one aim, which is to win games for LSG", the Rohtak-born allrounder added. When enquired about how he reacted after knowing that he would share the dressing room with the senior Pandya, Hooda said they met just like other players in the hotel. At the moment, they are good teammates with a common goal of winning the championship for the Lucknow Super Giants. "I was not watching the IPL auction. We met just like the other players at the team hotel. Whatever happened is in the past, and as I said, we both are playing for the same team, and our goals are the same, " the dashing right-handed batsman concluded. Both Krunal and Hooda have been impressive for the KL Rahul-led team in the ongoing IPL. While Hooda played two sensational knocks of 51 and 55 against SRH and GT, respectively, Krunal picked three wickets at a surreal economy of 5.5 in the two games. Currently, at the 5th position with two victories from 3 games, LSG will be up against DC in their 4th match this Thursday.

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Former COA Chief reveals how Anil Kumble felt after being asked to step-down as Head Coach

Vinod Rai, the former chief of Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA), recently published his book called 'Not Just a Nightwatchman — My Innings in the BCCI' where he opened up on the much-discussed captain-coach rift between former India head coach Anil Kumble and ex-skipper Virat Kohli. The former IAS officer highlighted the views of the former Indian head coach as to how he was treated "unfairly" and forced to resign as head coach of the Indian team. In a conversation with Rai, Kumble also emphasized how his successful head coach record should have been more important than players' objections. "We had long conversations with Kumble after he had returned from the UK. He was upset about how the entire episode had panned out. He felt he had been unfairly treated, and a captain or team should not be given so much importance." "It was the coach's duty to bring discipline and professionalism into the team, and as a senior, his views should have been respected by the players." Vinod Rai, in his book, while opening up on the entire Kumble-Kohli saga, acknowledged that the former Indian captain told him that younger members of the team felt intimidated by Kumble. "In my conversations with the captain and team management, it was conveyed that Kumble was too much of a disciplinarian and hence the team members were not too happy with him. I had spoken to Virat Kohli on the issue, and he mentioned that the team's younger members felt intimidated by the way he worked with them," Rai writes in the book. Rai, who was named head of the Committee of Administrators (CoA) in 2017, also mentioned in his book how he provided a proper explanation to Kumble as to why he didn't get an extension. This entire coach & captain rift in Indian cricket finally ended with Kumble stepping down as a head coach on his own. Rai, in his book, describes this move as "a bolt from the blue" moment. Rai, however, found it a mature and dignified move by the duo not to open up on the issue in the media as it might have led to another controversy, which could have harmed Indian cricket more. "It is indeed very prudent of captain Kohli to have maintained a dignified silence. Any utterance from him would have set off a barrage of opinions. "Kumble, on his part, too, kept to himself and did not go public on any issue that had transpired. That was the most mature and dignified manner of dealing with a situation which could have become unpleasant for all parties involved."