Cricket

Ex-England skipper retires from international cricket

By AAP Newswire

Jul 12, 2026

ccc — Heather Knight has called time on her long England career. -AAP Image

Former England captain Heather Knight has announced her retirement from international cricket after a ‌16-year career.

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The ‌35-year-old will make her final appearance during the current Test match ‌against India at Lord's, the venue where she famously led the team to World Cup glory in 2017.

She joins fellow England stalwart Tammy Beamont in exiting the international game this week.

Knight, who debuted in 2010, bows out as England Women's all-time record appearance-maker ‌with 320 ‌caps. She ⁠captained the side 199 times between 2016 and 2025, securing 134 victories.

She had scored 7988 international runs and six centuries prior to her final match, becoming the first English player to score hundreds in all three formats of ⁠the game.

"It's hard to walk ‌away because the dressing room and the people in the dressing room have been ‌a constant in my life for 16 years, and the memories and the experiences and the people have helped shape me to become who I am today," Knight said in a statement.

"But I'm really content with this decision ‌and I'm really excited for what's next."

England and Wales Cricket Board chair Richard Thompson praised Knight as a standard-bearer, saying she would leave the international game in a stronger place.