England Fire Their Captain Ahead of Home Season

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) dismissed Heather Knight as England’s captain on March 22 (Saturday), just one day after Jon Lewis resigned as head coach of the women’s side.

Under Knight and Lewis, England has been awful for the past 12 months or so.

Last year, England did not make it to the 2024 T20 World Cup knockout stages. They recently lost all of their games in Australia’s multi-format Women’s Ashes. However, England won the 2017 Women’s World Cup at home while Knight was captain.

“The greatest honour of my life has been leading my nation for the past nine years, and I will look back on my time there with a great deal of pride. I’ve enjoyed the challenge of being the team’s leader, but everything good comes to an end, so it’s time for me to return to the ranks and concentrate on being the best batter and teammate I can be.

“While winning the ICC Women’s World Cup at home at Lord’s in 2017 will always be a major highlight, I’m as proud to have contributed to the significant advancements in women’s sport off the ground. We are grateful to all of the players and staff who have contributed throughout the process.

“I have loved being England Captain, it’s been the most rewarding period of my career, but for now I’m excited to focus on my batting and supporting the team and the new captain in the best way I can.”

Richard Gould, the CEO of the ECB, continued, “I am incredibly grateful for all that Heather has done during her tenure as Captain. The exciting 2023 Women’s Ashes and the World Cup victory will be remembered for a very long time.

“Heather’s impact on the pitch is just one aspect of her influence as captain. She has encouraged many women and girls to participate in the sport by her leadership and commitment, which has contributed to the change in women’s cricket that has occurred since 2016.