CricketretirementJuly 12, 2026

Heather Knight Retires From International Cricket After Farewell Test at Lord's

Heather Knight has announced her retirement from international cricket. The ongoing Test against India at Lord's is her final appearance in an England shirt. It's the first-ever women's Test played at the ground, the same venue where she lifted the 2017 ICC Women's Cricket World Cup as captain.

Knight leads England Women in appearances. She has played 320 matches across all three formats, the most by anyone in the team's history. As captain, she led England in 199 internationals and won 134 of them, with the World Cup triumph on home soil in 2017 standing as her biggest moment in charge.

She also became the first England cricketer, male or female, to score international centuries in all three formats. That milestone came with an unbeaten 108 at the 2020 T20 World Cup in Canberra. Her best Test knock arrived two years later, also in Canberra, when she made an unbeaten 168 to rescue England during the Women's Ashes. Her batting numbers stand at nearly 8,000 international runs, with six centuries and fifty half-centuries, figures compiled up to the start of this farewell Test.

Her retirement carries extra weight because teammate Tammy Beaumont is also playing her final Test at Lord's in this same match. Two long-serving members of England's dressing room are bowing out together.

Knight isn't stepping away from the game entirely. She will take up a new role as General Manager of London Spirit, moving from the field into a leadership position off it.