Heather Knight Eyes World Cup Return as Rehab Progresses

By Mehr Jan

Heather Knight insists she remains on course to be fit for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in India later this year, despite battling through what she described as a “gnarly” hamstring tendon injury.

The veteran England batter, who was on crutches for two weeks in a bid to avoid surgery, suffered the injury during last month’s T20I series sweep over the West Indies. 

As she navigates a cautious, conservative recovery, Knight says the tournament remains her singular focus.

“That World Cup is what I’m aiming for, it’s what I’ve got my sights set on,” Knight told the PA news agency. “There’s always bumps in the road with rehab but hopefully everything goes smoothly and I can be back early September and get a bit of cricket in before the World Cup.”

Knight confirmed she would skip England’s domestic competition, The Hundred, to give herself the best chance of being ready for the 50-over World Cup. 

While progress has been encouraging, she acknowledged the seriousness of the setback.

“Things are tracking pretty well to hopefully be fit for that,” she said. “It’s healing well. We’re not gonna rush things. It’s a pretty gnarly injury: I ripped off the tendon quite well from the bone, so I have to be a little bit careful coming back.”

A Challenging Transition

The injury comes at a time of upheaval for Knight, who lost the England captaincy after nine years in charge following a humbling Ashes defeat in Australia.

 It was a tough blow that coincided with the early stages of a new coaching era under Charlotte Edwards.

“The Ashes was pretty tough; I was sad that things had ended like that but the ECB decided they wanted me to have a fresh start and that was their decision and completely fine,” she said, reflecting on her leadership tenure. Nat Sciver-Brunt has since taken over as captain. Despite the changes, Knight remains determined to contribute.

“I’m still very motivated to keep playing for England,” she added.

Finding Silver Linings

While injury rehab is rarely fun, Knight has sought to make the most of her time away from cricket. 

She plans to travel to Switzerland to support England’s Lionesses as they compete in the Euros—a trip that wouldn’t have been possible during a busy playing schedule.

“I’m going to Switzerland next week to watch the Lionesses play, so that’s something I wouldn’t have been able to do if I was playing cricket,” she said. “It’s really cool to see what they’ve done for women’s sport in this country. 

Hopefully they can be successful because that Euros win in the UK in 2022 was a really special moment for women’s sport and changed the face of football.”

As Knight works to regain fitness, she does so with the clear goal of wearing England colors in India—a testament to both her resilience and her continued love for the game.