Born on opposite sides of the globe, Sarah Glenn and Alana King are leg-spin kindred spirits.

A chance encounter Down Under sowed the seeds for a burgeoning friendship, and as Trent Rockets’ women prepare to grace the Trent Bridge turf, the pair are looking to push each other to ever greater heights.

King and Glenn were both part of the Rockets women's opening two fixtures in the 2022 edition of The Hundred, with Salliann Beams' side set to step out in Nottingham for the first time this summer on Wednesday 17 August (3.30pm).

“I’ve loved bowling with Glenny,” said Australia international King.

“We’re both the same in so many ways, but we’re so different too, so it’s great to be able to share our thoughts with each other, and see how each other’s brains work around leg-spin.

“We first met a couple of years ago in the Big Bash hub in Sydney (with Glenn representing Perth Scorchers, and King plying her trade for Melbourne Stars). We went straight across the road to a park and bowled to each other, just to work out how differently we bowled to each other, and what variations we had.

“Our friendship blossomed from there, and it’s great to be her teammate now.”

King took centre-stage in the Rockets’ 2022 opener at Old Trafford, taking the first hat-trick in the history of the women’s Hundred.

Standing at extra cover, Glenn was overjoyed for her fellow twirler.

“I kept creeping in more and more with each ball because I was so excited!" she recalled.

“It was a really special moment, and it will give her the confidence to know she can bowl on English wickets.

“We’re feeding off each other – I’m not normally a ‘badger’ talking about cricket, but I’m always talking to her about leg-spin, what works for her and what works for me.

“It’s really nice to have a fellow leggie in the squad, so I’m just trying to take advantage of that as much as I can.”

Glenn has become something of a seasoned performer on the Trent Bridge stage – and the Belper-born right-armer believes the venue’s notoriety as a white-ball batter’s paradise plays into her hands.

“Most of the grounds we play at in The Hundred are good pitches – it makes me wish I was more of a batter sometimes!” she said.

“But I think if a pitch is more difficult to bowl on, you have less to lose and more to gain, so it works as a motivation.

“In many ways I get more nervous in games where it’s in the bowlers’ favour, because there’s that expectation there.

“The crowd definitely helps too – it makes you want to show them what you can do, and give them a show. I think that’s when we play our best cricket.”

By contrast, King is in line for her debut at the Rockets’ home ground – and is relishing her position as one of Salliann Beams’ overseas stars.

“It’s a privilege to have the pressure that comes with being an overseas player,” she said.

“I just want to take some poles and whack a few runs when required, and help the younger girls to learn new things.

“Hopefully I come across as quite an easygoing person, and I always want to help anyone on my team get better – and learn new things myself, whether that’s off-field or on-field.”

*******

Trent Rockets face Oval Invincibles in a Hundred double-header (3.30pm and 7pm) on Wednesday 17 August. Secure your seats here...