In a series of emotional moments, former England skipper Heather Knight will retire from international cricket after the end of the ongoing one-off Test match against India, which is being played at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground. The star batter made the decision public at the end of second day's play on Saturday, July 11.
Heather Knight says goodbye to international cricket
Heather played a big role in England's women cricket team by leading the side to the 2017 ICC Women's ODI World Cup title and managed to appear in 320 international games across all formats of the sport. She will retire alongside her teammate Tammy Beaumont after the conclusion of the historic Test match.
It won't be wrong to say that Knight's best time in an England shirt arrived at Lord's, when she captained the hosts to win over India in the Women's ODI World Cup final. She took over the leadership duties from Charlotte Edwards, who now serves as England's head coach. Knight led the English side from 2016 to 2025, having an excellent record of 134 wins out of 199 games. Sadly, her captaincy tenure came to an end after England endured a horrible 16-0 loss against Australia in the multi-format Ashes series during the 2024-25 season.
“I’m extremely grateful and privileged to have gone on the journey that I have been on as an England cricketer, said Knight.
While continuing, Knight said that the hard part is to walk away from people she shared a dressing room with for the last 16 years of her life. She later clarified that she is really happy with her decision and extremely excited to explore the next part of her journey.
“As a team, we’ve shared some special moments with the fans over the years and I want to thank everyone who has supported and given their love to the women’s game. Watching this great game grow has been the greatest privilege of my life," added Knight.
How Knight fared for England?
The former England skipper played a total of 160 games in the ODI format, scoring 4,372 runs at an average of 35.00 with a strike rate of 73.00. She registered her best score of 109 against India in 2025. She managed to hit 27 half-centuries and 3 centuries in the fifty over format of the game. With the ball, she took 56 wickets at an economy rate of 4.00 with a bowling average of 24.00. She recorded her best bowling figures of 5/26 against Pakistan in 2016.
In the 20-over format, Knight cemented herself as one of the solid batters, with 2,596 runs in 126 outings at an average of 27.00 with a strike rate of 121.00. The former England skipper recorded her best score of unbeaten 108 against Thailand in 2020. With the ball, she clinched 21 scalps at an economy rate of 5.00. She recorded her best bowling figures of 3/9 against India.
In Test cricket, Knight managed to play 14 games and amassed 970 runs at an average of 42.00 with a best score of unbeaten 168 against Australia in 2022. She recorded two centuries and five half-centuries. With the ball she clinched seven wickets.