England’s women skipper Heather Knight on Saturday (22nd March) was sacked as the captain in all three formats of the game by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). This comes after she led the team for nine long years but the batter clarified that she will be available for selection as a player.
Heather Knight, who was appointed as skipper in 2016, captained England in 199 games across the formats and achieved incredible things. Under her leadership, the team went on to win the World Cup in 2017 and also reached the finals of two other ICC tournament finals.
Heather Knight struggled as a leader of late
Heather Knight, as a captain, won 134 games and ended as second on the list of England Women’s all-time most successful captains. Apart from winning the World Cup, the highlight of her captaincy was a record-breaking run of eight consecutive ODI series wins, including the win against Australia in the 2023 home Ashes.
But, of late, Heather Knight struggled as a leader as under her leadership, England went on to display poor performances in the T20 World Cup in the UAE and the recent Ashes in Australia. Following this, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) decided to move on from her.
Captaining my country for the last nine years has been the biggest honour of my life – Heather Knight
While talking about her stint as a leader, Heather Knight said that it was a big honour for her to captain the country for nine years. She said that it’s now time for her to focus on her batting and contribute more to her team. She also rated the ICC Women’s World Cup win as a highlight of her leadership. Speaking in an official statement, she said:
“Captaining my country for the last nine years has been the biggest honour of my life and I will look back on my tenure with an enormous sense of pride. I have loved the challenge of leading the team, but all good things come to an end and it’s time for me to go back into the ranks and focus on being the best batter and teammate that I can be for the team.
“Winning the ICC Women’s World Cup on home turf at Lord’s in 2017 will always be a huge highlight, but being a part of the huge steps forward made in the women’s game off the pitch brings me just as much pride.
I have loved being England Captain, it’s been the most rewarding period of my career – Heather Knight
Knight also went on to thank all those who supported them in her journey, saying that she loved being England captain and it was a most rewarding period of my career. She added:
“Thank you to all the players and staff, who have given it everything along the way – especially Mark, Lisa and Jon, three head coaches that I’ve loved working with. The people make the job. Thank you to the fans that have supported me and the team through the highs and the lows.
“Finally, to my friends, family and long-suffering partner Tim, you live the journey with me and I wouldn’t be here without your support. I have loved being England Captain, it’s been the most rewarding period of my career, but for now I’m excited to focus on my batting and supporting the team and the new captain in the best way I can.”
Heather Knight made her debut for England in 2010 and also is the first women’s player to score an international century in all three formats of the game. The ECB also mentioned that they will be finalising her replacement soon.
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