Alana King believes The Hundred is continuing to grow despite a difficult campaign for Birmingham Phoenix and criticism of the competition. The Australian World Cup winner, who is in her first season with the Edgbaston-based franchise, says the game has expanded each year she has been involved.
Phoenix bottom of the standings
Neither of the Phoenix's men's or women's teams will look back on this campaign with much fondness, with both sitting bottom of the standings going into their final fixtures. King, 30, the first woman to take a hat-trick in The Hundred, previously played for Trent Rockets before joining Birmingham this year.
The 2026 season was also the first for The Hundred after new investment was introduced. Knighthead Capital, the American owners of Birmingham City FC, now have part control of the Phoenix, while footballer Jude Bellingham holds a 1.2 per cent stake.
King praises growth and investors
King said: "I think every year that I've come back for The Hundred the game has grown and I think the fanfare has grown as well. I think when you have different investors coming in, you bring in different crowds as well and different eyes on the game, and I think that's important for the game of cricket to grow."
She added: "With Birmingham, we've got a big investor in Jude Bellingham, so he brings a different crowd to the cricket as well. It's great for the game, the crowds are getting better and they're getting louder, and to be honest I like being part of Birmingham with the Hollies Stand now on your side, rather than cheering against you!"
King concluded: "It's grown and it will continue to grow with these private investors. It's a great competition to be part of and I love coming back."
World Cup success and community support
Prior to The Hundred, King spent considerable time in England as part of the Australia team that reclaimed the Women's T20 World Cup title by beating the hosts in the final at Lord's. After losing their global T20 and ODI crowns in the previous two ICC tournaments, the Aussies won the tournament with a 100 per cent record.
King said: "Just to go about it the way we did and play the way we wanted to play, it was a big relief and it was a moment where we felt like we were back to where we should be; going deep into tournaments and hopefully lifting plenty more World Cups in the future."
She added: "It was just a great feeling, under new captaincy. It was a first tournament as skipper for Sophie Molineux, and I couldn't be more pumped for her. I think the whole team was just wrapped on how it all unfolded and it was an incredible five weeks."
King was speaking in support of KP Snacks' Everyone In Fund, which backs the ECB's Cricket Cities programme to remove barriers and create opportunities for participation. A community cricket session for local women and girls in Aston, Birmingham, celebrated the launch of the fund, a £750,000 investment over three years supporting community-led projects across England and Wales to address barriers such as cost, access to facilities and confidence.
King said: "It's been great to meet people from different backgrounds. I've met women who have never played cricket before and are now giving it a crack and I've been teaching them to bowl. Then you've got the younger generation coming through who are enthusiastic and excited to be here – they're trying to whack bombs and take wickets."
