Knight grateful for historic Lord's Test farewell

A crucial home summer of cricket remained Heather Knight's priority throughout what proved to be the final chapter of her international career. The former England captain recently retired after a stellar 16-year career, having long suspected that the time to step away was approaching. Even so, her focus never wavered from helping England through a landmark summer that featured a home ICC Women's T20 World Cup and the first-ever women's Test at Lord's. 

Knight was among England's top batters, highlighted by the fact that she finished as England's leading run-scorer at the previous ICC Women's Cricket World Cup and most recently shared a crucial 133-run partnership with Nat Sciver-Brunt in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final. Despite being in top form, she leaves the international stage excited for the opportunities that lie ahead.

"I probably knew at the start of this year that I was thinking this might be the case," Knight said on her retirement.

"A really exciting summer to be involved in, a home World Cup and a Test match. I probably knew that I had 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."

Throughout her career, Knight showed remarkable resilience in overcoming setbacks. Earlier in 2025, she lost the England captaincy following a disappointing Ashes campaign and then found herself in a race against time to recover from a hamstring injury ahead of the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup.

Despite all the challenges, she is happy she is leaving the international game after a landmark game at Lord’s.

"Life isn't perfect, is it? Cricket isn't perfect, and obviously it wasn't the perfect ending," Knight admitted.

"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."

Opener Tammy Beaumont also retired from international cricket after the Test, joining Heather Knight in leaving a significant experience gap in England's lineup. Despite that, Knight is confident the next generation she has seen come through has the talent and character to thrive at the highest level. 

"Something that I've loved the last few years is seeing some of those younger players come in and really grow as people, really grow as cricketers and start to thrive," she said.

"It's just the natural passing of time, isn't it? That happens not just in cricket but in life. It's certainly something that I'll be really excited to watch and, from a playing perspective, see how the team goes forward."