Amanda-Jade Wellington wasn't born when Shane Warne bowled the ball of the century to Mike Gatting in the 1993 Ashes Test at Old Trafford. He is, however, her biggest idol; she keeps going back to his videos on YouTube.
In the women’s Ashes Test at Sydney three months ago, she bowled a leg-break that would have made Tammy Beaumont, who lost her off bail, empathise with Gatting. It became a talking point, especially on the internet.
Though it wasn’t quite in the class of Warne’s immortal delivery — the comparison made by some fans notwithstanding — it was a ball any leg-spinner, regardless of gender, wouldn’t mind bowling any day.
“That remains my favourite wicket,” says Wellington, who took three for 24 to help Australia beat India in the first ODI here on Tuesday. “The social media blew it up. But, no, my life hasn’t changed after that ball.”
The 20-year-old adds she was very happy to play that Test, her first. “Test cricket is the pinnacle of this sport,” he says. “I got to bowl 34 overs in a row and I loved it.”
She loved bowling against the Indians too, at the Reliance Cricket Stadium. “I am happy with my performance,” she says. “There were fantastic performances also from Nicole Bolton and Jess Jonassen.”
Wellington is also excited about the prospects of playing men’s cricket. She has been selected by Port Adelaide.
She could have made her debut for the club this season, if the weather hadn’t intervened. “I was privileged enough to get picked by Port Adelaide,” she says. “I was really looking forward to the challenges of playing men’s cricket, but the pitch was a bit wet. I hope I get picked again next year.”
She has already worked with one big name in men’s cricket. She trained with Rashid Khan, the leg-spinning sensation from Afghanistan at the Adelaide Strikers nets.
“The experience was incredible,” she says. “He basically explained to me how to bowl the wrong one.”
It may not be long before she gets that right too, given her talent and determination. And that would not be good news for batswomen outside Australia.
