'Rubbish year' a thing of the past as Knight rises once more
Veteran batter Heather Knight is over her injury woes and in excellent touch as England chase a fifth World Cup title in India.
Relive the thrilling final over between India and England | CWC25
Watch the thrilling final over as England hang on to defeat India by four runs at the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup
Heather Knight has suffered her fair share of ups and downs in recent times, but the England batter appears to have finally found her groove after leading her side into the semi-finals of the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup.
Knight lost the captaincy at the start of the year following a disappointing Ashes campaign in Australia and her 2025 sunk even further in May when she badly tore her hamstring in a T20I against the West Indies that left her Women's World Cup campaign in doubt.
England hold nerve to beat India in thriller | Match Highlights | CWC25
A magnificent comeback from England as they script a memorable win over India to qualify for ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 semi-finals.
But months of hard work and rehab has Knight feeling fresh and the 34-year-old displayed her talents with the bat when scoring her third ODI century and leading England to victory with a Player of the Match performance against India in Indore on Sunday that confirmed the side's place in the knockout stages of the World Cup.
It was just rewards for Knight, who used her powerful sweep to her advantage, adding 15 fours and one six as England held on for a narrow four-run triumph.
"I am really pleased," Knight said after the match.
"I've had pretty rubbish year, not going to lie before this World Cup.
"I was really keen to try and make the most of it and try and enjoy just being here because obviously it was pretty tight to make it here.
"I've made a real conscious effort to try and enjoy the trip and try and enjoy what I do and try and get the best out of myself in my batting through that enjoyment and just being happy to be here.
"Because I think sometimes you take it for granted when you're kind of on the treadmill of international cricket and when you do get injured, you kind of have that bit of time to kind of reflect and realise how fun it is and the opportunities that you do get and I was really keen to try and make the most of the opportunities during this World Cup and obviously try and contribute as much as I can to the team being successful.
"That was a pretty awful day (hurting her hamstring in May), to be honest. When I obviously felt my hamstring rip off, that was not that fun.
"So to be here now and obviously to be over that injury and to be contributing to the team being successful and obviously in the semi-finals now in the World Cup is a cool place to be."
Knight thrilled at England performance | Post-match Press Conference | CWC25
England batter Heather Knight was happy to make a contribution with a century as he side defeated India at the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup
The contest against India was also extra special for Knight as she became just the third player from England and eighth overall to have made 300 international appearances across all formats in women's cricket.
While Knight was happy to acknowledge the extent of the milestone, the right-hander was more focused on being able to help her side remain unbeaten at the World Cup.
"Personal milestones are cool, but I think the biggest thing today I don't really like the attention of being quite desperate to get the win and obviously qualify," Knight said.
"It was a really important game for us under pressure as well, like playing India at home in front of a cool crowd and it's quite strange when you hit runs and there's literally dead silence, so I think it's a pretty special day.
"I think it'd be nice to go and celebrate with everyone and have a drink and reflect. At the start of the day I was just - I really wanted to make a contribution.
"I think obviously 300 caps is nice, but I still want to be contributing and helping the team win games of cricket. So I was pretty chuffed that happened today."
