Why Heather Knight's alter ego has returned

"Being England skipper becomes a large portion of your identity. It's an all-encompassing job. You're ever reasoning astir it, moreover if you're connected holiday."

Heather Knight was speaking astatine nan commencement of nan 2024 summer, her ninth arsenic England captain. It would beryllium her last.

Warning: This portion contains connection that immoderate readers whitethorn find offensive.

An atrocious winter, including an early exit from nan T20 World Cup and a clean-sweep humiliation successful nan Ashes, meant alteration was inevitable. Not moreover a skipper arsenic successful, tenured and respected arsenic Knight was safe.

If being replaced by Nat Sciver-Brunt meant 1 portion of Knight's personality was lost, location was different that had lain dormant, fresh to beryllium revived and unleashed.

"I utilized to person an change ego erstwhile I first sewage into nan team," Knight tells BBC Sport. "Shitbag Shelley.

"That prankster, rebellious broadside sewage supressed erstwhile I was successful a activity position.

"The girls didn't cognize I wasn't skipper anymore. When I sent a connection out, I said 'watch out, Shitbag Shelley is back'."

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For Knight (and perchance Shelley), nan informing sent to her team-mates meant 1 determination had been taken.

Some leaders find it difficult to return to nan ranks. Knight had been skipper for much of her England profession than not. In that aforesaid question and reply from past summer, she expressed uncertainty complete whether she could yet play nether different skipper.

When push came to shove, Knight recovered it "pretty easy" to proceed playing for England, but a further setback was conscionable astir nan corner. Three games into Knight's caller normal, a T20 against West Indies astatine Chelmsford successful May, she suffered a hamstring wounded that put her retired for nan remainder of nan summer.

"I was conscionable getting my caput astir what not being skipper looked like, embracing nan other freedom, past bang, injured," says Knight.

"In a precocious affectional state, you deliberation 'do I want to do this rehab, do I want to transportation connected playing'. That was a very fleeting thought, an affectional guidance to being injured."

A summertime of rehab stretched retired into Knight's future. She was ruled retired of The Hundred and successful a title to beryllium fresh for nan World Cup successful India and Sri Lanka, starting connected Tuesday. The hours, days and months of resting, stretching and check-ups besides gave plentifulness of clip to bespeak connected what had gone before.

Recency bias tin overgarment an unfair image of Knight's clip successful charge. The ending turned sour, yet earlier that she guided England to World Cup glory successful 2017 and drawn Ashes bid against nan mighty Australians successful some 2017-18 and 2023.

Perhaps much importantly, Knight led English women's cricket into nan master era and was ne'er thing little than a superb domiciled exemplary successful nan maturation of nan game.

"The clip nan wounded gave maine helped maine get complete it a small spot better, move connected and attraction connected what I request to do," says Knight.

"I'm beautiful proud of what I achieved successful those 9 years. It didn't decorativeness really I wanted, but that's life sometimes. The powers that beryllium wanted to person a caller commencement and move on, and I'm wholly accepting of that. I'm fresh to adjacent that section of my life.

"I consciousness for illustration I person reflected and moved on. I'm hugely proud of that play of my career. I gave it everything and I'm beautiful happy pinch nan occupation I did."

Being injured successful summertime tin springiness a cricketer a glimpse into normal life. While Knight still spent clip mentoring London Spirit successful The Hundred, she went to weddings she different would person missed and travelled to watch nan Lionesses' victorious Euros run successful Switzerland.

Inspired by Spirit and England team-mates Issy Wong and Charlie Dean, Knight has besides taken up nan guitar.

"I'm awful, actually," says Knight. "I person an utmost emotion of music, and zero talent. In Birmingham we went to Issy Wong's section guitar shop, wherever she was treated for illustration a returning hero, and those guys helped maine prime retired a guitar."

Hamstring connected nan mend, Knight and her guitar person made it to nan World Cup. It is different tilt connected nan biggest prize successful women's cricket, 3 years connected from a tally to nan last astatine a Covid-delayed tourney successful New Zealand. For Knight, it is 1 much World Cup than she expected to reach.

"At nan clip I thought 2022 mightiness beryllium my past World Cup and I put a batch of unit connected myself to do really well," Knight explains.

"That World Cup came astatine nan extremity of a reliable Ashes campaign, played successful Covid restrictions. To beryllium honest, my encephalon was a spot scrambled by that point."

Realistically, this will beryllium Knight's past 50-over World Cup. She will beryllium 35 successful December, yet immoderate thoughts of ending her playing profession are only coming from others.

"Maybe I americium astatine nan property wherever I should beryllium retiring, and that is simply a point that comes from externally, alternatively than really I feel," she says.

"People inquire you much astir it. 'When are you hanging nan boots up' aliases 'What's your scheme aft you finish'. I still consciousness for illustration I tin make an effect and I'm playing really well, particularly successful T20 cricket. I astir apt had nan champion mates of years of my profession successful that format."

For that reason, nan T20 World Cup connected location ungraded adjacent summertime is an evident target, an opportunity to recreate nan magic of nan 2017 triumph astatine Lord's. Australia are owed to circuit successful 2027, but Knight says it is "silly" to look truthful acold up to different ace astatine nan Ashes.

"My hamstring mightiness popular again and I'll beryllium saying 'see you later'."

Given what Knight has been done successful nan past year, it is simply a triumph to scope nan World Cup, to beryllium successful statement to play for England against South Africa successful Guwahati connected Friday.

"I've been done nan mill to moreover get connected nan plane," says Knight. "It's a large accomplishment conscionable to beryllium here. I want to make nan astir of it."