Alana King vs Sophia Dunkley has become one of cricket's most quietly compelling match-ups in their short international careers. Not loud, now showy, no theatrics - just pure cat-and-mouse tease between a shrewd legspinner and a fierce sweeper of the ball.

Thrice in the last three years, across three huge stages, King has dismissed Dunkley with craft and calculation. Each set-up more deliberate than the last, each turning her strength into liability. Incidentally, each of the times it has felt as tactical as personal for the Australian. Every Dunkley wicket has inadvertently become a thread in King's silent tribute to Shane Warne - the man who inspired King to pick up legspin and stay with it.

It started on March 5, 2022. On the morning of Australia's World Cup opener against England, King was grieving, alongside every cricket enthusiast in her country, but also standing on her biggest stage yet. And then she bowled like he was still there.

Dunkley, quickly growing into her role as a middle-overs spin-hitter, arrived at the crease in a crucial moment. England's attempt at a record chase of 311 had seen a stutter with King picking two in quick succession to leave the opponents at 177/5 in 33rd over. Nat Sciver-Brunt had the hard task of restarting with a fresh batter - and a World Cup debutant.

A confident sweeper of the ball, Dunkley brought out the paddles early to upset King's rhythm by quickly picking 10 off her alone. The leggie then flighted one generously outside off, luring Dunkley into the drive. The batter came down and swung wildly, only for the sharp turn to beat everyone - even the keeper - and run to the fence.

Seeing Dunkley shuffle across far too often for her liking, King then produced a ripper from over-the-wicket that was drifting in on middle and leg. Dunkley had left her stumps exposed with another premeditated attempt at scoop and got bowled around the legs for a 32-ball 28. King's last-two overs were soiled in a brief counterattack, but her control through the middle-overs had already put a significant dent in England's chase. For each of her three wickets, King was pumped but she did not forget to also gently tap the black armband.

When the two teams met again in the title clash, Dunkley earned a promotion with England reeling at 129/4 in pursuit of Australia's 356 for the trophy. Off the very first ball, she opened her account with a premeditated paddle sweep off Jess Jonassen. Meg Lanning wasted little time in bringing back King into the attack.

Dunkley almost dragged on the second ball she faced from the legspinner, trying to sweep her across. In King's next over, she got a top-edge on the sweep but it landed safely in the gap behind square to allow the English batter to collect two more. Third over into this intriguing battle, King decided to go around the wicket and kept tossing up the legbreaks from wide off the crease. The plan was to tempt the compulsive sweeper into her go-to shot and bare her stumps in the process. Dunkley took the bait, and was once again bowled around her legs with the one that turned in sharply from well outside and past her paddle to knock back the legstump.

King's crucial strike left Sciver-Brunt stranded again in the middle, exposing England's tail at 179/5, needing 178 more in 22 overs that they fell well short of. There were no armbands then, but she knew Warne would have been proud seeing her turn the aggressive sweeper into a repeat casualty.

"Dunks has definitely improved since that World Cup and she's accessing a lot more areas behind the wicket now so might not be able to get her out in that fashion [anymore]," King told Cricbuzz in a virtual interaction. "But, it's always nice for a plan to come off, and to be encouraged by my skipper and from behind the stumps to keep at it. It gives me a lot of encouragement and a lot of confidence in doing that.

"I wouldn't say they were my best deliveries, but always happy to take a wicket, especially in a World Cup, they're always going to be pretty special.

"In the final, we were just trying to block off one side of the ground. We just knew that there was going to be a pretty crucial partnership between her and Nat Sciver-Brunt to try to get them over the line. So, I guess, and just try to change the angle of [attack]. It was lucky that it spun and spun into leg stump, which is always nice.

"Just trying to change things up and not be too predictable with the ball - that was the biggest thing. You always want to be one step ahead of the game. We knew it worked in the round-robin game, so we thought we'd give it a crack maybe from a different angle [in the final]. Happy it worked out."

But it was at the iconic MCG in Ashes 2025 - and from the Shane Warne End, no less - where King produced a masterpiece. If anything would have topped the World Cup moment, it had to be in the rare Test opportunity - the first women's Test at the iconic venue in over 75 years, and the first-ever pink-ball Ashes game at the venue they both call home. The setting in itself was carrying the weight of expectations, and King delivered from the very corner that bears his name.

Dunkley had just driven her down the ground for four - a rare error in length on the day from King that was quickly punished. The comeback was sharp. A classic legbreak that drifted in from well outside leg-stump and ripped away to hit the top of off. It's the kind of delivery every leggie dreams of, and also the kind that evokes just one name at that venue.

"Very humbled that people keep referring to me as bowling 'the Ball of the Century' in the modern day era," King said with a glint in her eyes.

"She hit me the previous ball - I bowled a bit too full and she hit me for a nice four down the ground. But, the ball was coming out really well [from my hand] in that Test match and I was pretty happy and proud of what I was able to achieve.

"No doubt that ball that I bowled to her, it just came out really nicely. As a legspinner, especially to see the ball get that drift, to hit outside legstump and to take the top of off. [Maybe] something I didn't appreciate in the time, but definitely when I watched a few replays after that - more than a few replays - yeah, I was pretty proud of it and happy that I got that wicket and made a significant contribution to our big Ashes Test win at the MCG."

Player of the Series, King helped script the first-ever 16-0 sweep for Australia in Ashes history. But that delivery, of the many she sent down in the multi-format series, was special - the kind that would have got Warne's nod in approval.

"He's always been a big inspiration in why I do legspin and why I picked it up in the first place. It was very nostalgic playing at the MCG in whites, wearing the baggy green and to be bowling from his end was something pretty special and a pinch-me moment. I had to keep looking up to the stand and be like, 'oh, this is real. I'm bowling in front of the Shane Warne stand'.

"I said it then as well, I hope I'm doing him proud and he's smiling down and enjoying what I'm doing and hopefully many more memories like that to come."

From a crucial strike in the group encounter three years ago, a strategic trap in that finale, to a delivery that's now branded as her very own "ball of the century" - every moment has added a layer to this brewing rivalry. And now, as the 2025 World Cup brings the two traditional rivals face-to-face, a new chapter is waiting.

Dunkley has had a tough tournament so far, with just 44 runs in four innings and all her four dismissals coming against spin. She has the backing of the team management, but for King, the timing couldn't be better.

Sure, she is aware of Dunkley's patterns. But King also knows Dunkley has evolved, and is maybe desperate for redemption with a top-spot finish in sights.