Heather Knight Focused on World Cup Glory After Disciplinary Measures
Heather Knight, England’s captain, is fully focused on leading her team to victory in the Women’s T20 World Cup. She insists that the disciplinary measures taken against her for a historic “blackface” photograph have been addressed and are no longer a distraction.
Knight, 33, was reprimanded and fined £1000 by the Cricket Discipline Commission after the photograph surfaced on social media. She has expressed regret for her actions and stated that she has “long regretted” the incident.
Now, on the eve of England’s T20 World Cup opener against Bangladesh, Knight is turning her attention to the task at hand. She is confident that her team can improve on their semi-final finish at the last event and land their first ICC global title since 2017.
“It was obviously something that has been ongoing the last couple of months, but it is something that has been addressed,” Knight said. “The line has already been drawn, in my opinion, so I am really excited for what is to come.”
England had an unbeaten home summer, winning 13 out of 14 matches against New Zealand and Pakistan. They will face Bangladesh, Scotland, West Indies, and South Africa in the World Cup group stage.
Knight believes that Australia, the defending champions, will be the favorites. However, she is confident that England can challenge them.
“We feel in a really good place,” Knight said. “We’ve been playing some brilliant cricket, and while the first goal is to get out of the group stages, we’re pretty confident in what we bring. We believe we can beat anyone on our best day.”
England has spent much of the summer honing a side that can compete in spinning conditions. Knight is confident that their spin contingent, led by Sophie Ecclestone, will thrive at the tournament.
“We feel very prepared for what we’ve got to come,” Knight said. “We’ve obviously got the quality spin attack. It’s been our big strength, particularly through those middle overs.”
England has opted to overlook Lauren Filer for this tournament, instead relying on Lauren Bell as a sole specialist seamer. Knight believes that they have a versatile squad that can adapt to different conditions.
“We’ve got really good options, which is the nice thing,” Knight said. “The depth that we’ve got allows us to play based on the conditions that we face, and the team that we’re playing against.”
Knight is confident that her all-rounders, including Freya Kemp and Nat Sciver-Brunt, are fit and ready to deliver for the team.
“The allrounders are the fittest in the team, because of the role they have to do,” she said. “Freya, in particular, she’s super impressive with how she’s come back from that [second] stress fracture.”