‘Wanted to give my all this summer’ – Heather Knight speaks after announcing international retirement

England Women’s 2017 World Cup-winning skipper Heather Knight announced her retirement from international cricket at the culmination of the historic Lord’s Test against India Women. 

Knight told her teammates at the end of Day 3 of the game, which had already marked a special occasion due to opening batter Tammy Beaumont announcing her retirement prior to the start of the game.

“The hardest thing for me was telling people. The people have always been the most important thing for me and the thing I love about cricket is the different characters, the different people. I was glad when it was out.

“I was worried about getting emotional when I was telling everyone, but it was nice to see everyone’s reaction and just spend some with the people that I’ve shared the dressing room with for so long and just enjoy the moment,” Knight said, as quoted by Cricinfo. 

Knight has had a decorated career as an England cricketer, scoring 8,017 runs in 320 caps across all formats. Making her debut in 2010, Knight was made skipper of the side in 2016 after the retirement of now-coach Charlotte Edwards and led the team to World Cup glory in 2017. In 2020, Knight made history by becoming the first English cricketer, male or female, to score centuries in all formats of the game. She said the home summer, with a T20 World Cup and a Test match, felt like a logical end point for her glorious career. She is set to take up the general manager role at the new-look London Spirit. 

“I probably knew at the start of this year that I was thinking this might be the case. A really exciting summer to be involved in, a home World Cup and a Test match. I probably knew that I had a one big shift to give, and whether I had the energy to give any more, I wasn’t totally sure.

“But at the start of the summer, I knew that I wanted to give my all this summer, and then that was probably the right time to step away. I’m super happy and the main reason is I’m really excited. I’m really excited for what’s next. It’s something I’ve probably been thinking about in my head for the last couple of years,” Knight said.

Knight pleads for more ‘domestic red-ball cricket’

England were beaten by 270 runs in the first-ever Women’s Test match at Lord’s. India thoroughly beat them, bowling the hosts out for 170 and 187, while recording scores of 285 and 341 for 7 with the bat. Kranti Goud, with a five-wicket haul, and Yastika Bhatia, with a stunning century, became the first players to get their names on the honours board, with Sophie Ecclestone’s fifer in the second innings being the only honours board representative for the Lionesses. Despite the result, Knight lauded the game as a fitting end point due to her love for the format and wished to see England include more red-ball cricket in their domestic calendar. 

“Life isn’t perfect, is it? Cricket isn’t perfect, and obviously it wasn’t the perfect ending. But I’m so happy to be involved in a Test match at Lord’s. That’s one of the reasons that I wanted to finish here. I love playing Test cricket. It’s my favourite format. It’s the most challenging, physically and mentally, and I love playing here. Lord’s is a ground that’s so special to me as well. It’s been an amazing occasion, despite the result,” Knight said.

“I’d love to see some domestic red-ball cricket. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a full part of the calendar, but I do think it would help us develop as better white-ball cricketers as well. When I was a kid, it was hammered into me to value your wicket, value wicket, value wicket. A lot of our younger cricketers coming through are a lot better at T20 than they are 50-over, and they have to learn that side of it, being able to build an innings or shape a spell,” she added.