England’s Heather Knight focusing on World Cup as she recovers from hamstring harm | Cricket Information
Former England cricket captain Heather Knight believes she is on observe to be match for the World Cup as she prepares to capitalise on her harm misfortune by cheering on the Lionesses at Euro 2025.
The 34-year-old’s summer season was ruined by a big hamstring tendon concern suffered throughout final month’s T20 clear sweep in opposition to the West Indies.
Unable to function within the upcoming collection in opposition to India, she has as a substitute booked a vacation to Switzerland and plans to look at Sarina Wiegman’s England launch their European Championship title defence with Group D fixtures in opposition to France and the Netherlands in Zurich on July 5 and 9.
This 12 months’s ICC Girls’s Cricket World Cup in India is scheduled to start on September 30, with England’s opening match coming in opposition to South Africa on October 3.
“That World Cup is what I am aiming for, it is what I’ve acquired my sights set on,” Knight stated.
“There’s all the time bumps within the street with rehab however hopefully every part goes easily and I might be again early September and get a little bit of cricket in earlier than the World Cup.
“Issues are monitoring fairly properly to hopefully be match for that. It is therapeutic properly.
“We’re not gonna rush issues. It is a fairly gnarly harm: I ripped off the tendon fairly properly from the bone, so I’ve to be just a little bit cautious coming again.”
Knight, who sat out three subsequent ODIs in opposition to the Windies and can also be lacking London Spirit’s defence of The Hundred, was on crutches for 2 weeks however prevented surgical procedure.
She is set to take advantage of her enforced absence amid the “extraordinarily boring” rehabilitation course of.
“I will Switzerland subsequent week to look at the Lionesses play, in order that’s one thing I would not have been capable of do if I used to be taking part in cricket,” stated Knight.
“I all the time love watching girls’s sport and it is the chance to go to a reasonably cool nation.
“I do know a number of of the gamers loosely: I’ve finished a number of bits with Leah [Williamson, England captain] and are available throughout a number of of the women at occasions.
“It is actually cool to see what they’ve finished for ladies’s sport on this nation.
“Hopefully they are often profitable as a result of that Euros win within the UK [in 2022] was a extremely particular second for ladies’s sport on this nation and adjusted the face of soccer.”
It has been a tough few months for Knight.
She was stripped of the England captaincy following 9 years within the function within the wake of an Ashes humiliation in Australia earlier than sustaining the long-term harm within the early weeks of the brand new period beneath head coach Charlotte Edwards.
“The Ashes was fairly robust; I used to be unhappy that issues had ended like that however the ECB determined they wished me to have a contemporary begin and that was their resolution and fully fantastic,” she stated of the captaincy, which handed to Nat Sciver-Brunt.
“I am nonetheless very motivated to maintain taking part in for England.”
Alongside England males’s captain Ben Stokes, Knight has given her title to a brand new nationwide state college competitors, which can launch in 2026 and conclude with finals at Lord’s.
The Barclays Knight-Stokes Cup – named after two of England’s biggest state-educated cricketers and the brainchild of one other ex-England skipper, Michael Vaughan – goals to drive state college participation within the sport.
“It is actually necessary that we hold making cricket accessible,” stated Knight. “I am actually proud to place my title to it.”
T20 worldwide collection at dwelling to India (June-July)
- First T20: Saturday June 28 (2.30pm)- Trent Bridge, Nottingham
- Second T20: Tuesday July 1 (6.30pm) – Seat Distinctive Stadium, Bristol
- Third T20: Friday July 4 (6.35pm) – The Kia Oval London
- Fourth T20: Wednesday July 9 (6.30pm) – Emirates Previous Trafford, Manchester
- Fifth T20: Saturday July 12 (6.35pm) – Edgbaston, Birmingham
One-day worldwide collection at dwelling to India (July)
- First ODI: Wednesday July 16 (1pm) – Utilita Bowl, Southampton
- Second ODI: Saturday July 19 (11am) – Lord’s, London
- Third ODI: Tuesday July 22 (1pm) – Seat Distinctive Riverside, Chester-le-Avenue
Watch England’s first T20 worldwide in opposition to India reside on Sky Sports activities Cricket from 2pm on June 28 – Stream cricket with NOW