England's Heather Knight announces retirement from women's international cricket: Details 
12 Jul 2026

Heather Knight, the former captain of the England women's cricket team, has announced her retirement from international cricket.

She will bow out after the ongoing one-off Lord's Women's Test against Team India.

The decision will bring an end to one of the most illustrious careers in English cricket.

Knight's international career began in 2010 when she made her debut against India as an 18-year-old replacement for an injured Sarah Taylor.

Knight's journey to the top
Career highlights

Knight quickly established herself as a promising batter, making her mark at the county level.

She became a mainstay in England's batting lineup and was appointed vice-captain by 2014.

In 2016, she took over the full-time captaincy from Charlotte Edwards.

Over the next decade, Knight led England to many achievements, including winning the ODI World Cup in 2017.

A look at her career stats
Leadership role

Knight captained England across 199 matches over nine years, but her captaincy ended on a disappointing note with a 16-0 all-format whitewash against Australia in the Ashes last year.

Despite this, she remained an integral part of the batting unit and played her seventh T20 World Cup this year.

Knight has also played four ODI World Cups, becoming the first English cricketer to score an international hundred across all three formats in 2020.

Knight takes her post as Spirit GM
Post-retirement

Knight's retirement comes as she has been appointed general manager of the London Spirit women's team in December last year.

She had opted out of playing the 2026 edition of the Women's Hundred, which could be a sign of her transition into management with Mo Bobat at the franchise.

As she prepares to bid farewell to international cricket, Knight leaves behind an indelible mark on English cricket with her remarkable career spanning 15 Tests, 160 ODIs, and 145 T20Is - more than any other England female cricketer.

Here are her stats for England 
Stats 

Knight will end her career with 2,656 runs from 145 WT20I matches at an average of 27.66 (100: 1, 50s: 10).

In WODIs, she has tallied 4,372 runs while averaging 35.54. This includes 30 scores of 50 or more, including three tons.

Her 15 Test caps have resulted in 976 runs at 40.66 (100: 2, 50s: 5). She will have a chance to complete 1,000 runs in the format in the final innings of the Lord's Test.