Injury on the mend as Knight eyes upcoming 50-over World Cup

England batter Heather Knight believes she is on track to be fit for the upcoming World Cup later this year, as she continues to recover from a significant hamstring tendon injury sustained during last month’s T20I series sweep against the West Indies.

“That World Cup is what I’m aiming for, it’s what I’ve got my sights set on,” Knight told the PA news agency.

“There’s always bumps in the road with rehab but hopefully everything goes smoothly and I can be back early September and get a bit of cricket in before the World Cup.”

Knight, who missed the three consecutive ODIs against the West Indies, will also sit out the upcoming domestic competition in England of The Hundred in an attempt to recover in time for the 50-over World Cup.

She had been on crutches for the last two weeks, trying to avoid surgery and manage the injury conservatively.

“Things are tracking pretty well to hopefully be fit for that (World Cup). It’s healing well.We’re not gonna rush things. It’s a pretty gnarly injury: I ripped off the tendon quite well from the bone, so I have to be a little bit careful coming back," Knight added.

The injury comes on the back off a difficult period for Knight who was stripped of her captaincy after being at the helm for nine years in the wake of an Ashes humiliation in Australia.

The long-term injury then struck in the early weeks of a new chapter under head coach Charlotte Edwards, adding to an already difficult period in her career.

“The Ashes was pretty tough; I was sad that things had ended like that but the ECB decided they wanted me to have a fresh start and that was their decision and completely fine,” she said of England captaincy, which has now been take over by Nat Sciver-Brunt.

“I’m still very motivated to keep playing for England.”

Knight is viewing her injury rehabilitation as a blessing in disguise, turning what could have been a “dull” recovery period into something more uplifting by heading to Switzerland, where she plans to watch the Lionesses compete in the Euros.

“I’m going to Switzerland next week to watch the Lionesses play, so that’s something I wouldn’t have been able to do if I was playing cricket,” said Knight.

“It’s really cool to see what they’ve done for women’s sport in this country.

“Hopefully they can be successful because that Euros win in the UK (in 2022) was a really special moment for women’s sport in this country and changed the face of football.”