Lord’s to host farewell for England cricketers Heather Knight and Tammy Beaumont
England stars announce international retirement
Two prominent figures in England women’s cricket, Heather Knight and Tammy Beaumont, are set to retire from international cricket following the Rothesay Test match against India at Lord’s this week. The match marks the first ever women’s Test to be held at Lord’s, providing a significant occasion for both players to conclude their careers.
Heather Knight, who has been a part of the England squad since her debut in 2010, will conclude her international career after this Test. She has accumulated 320 caps for England, making her the team’s all-time leading appearance-maker. Knight also captained England on 199 occasions, notably leading the side to victory in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2017. Throughout her career, she amassed 7,988 runs across all formats.
Knight expressed her gratitude for her journey as an England cricketer, acknowledging the impact of the dressing room and her teammates over 16 years. She described the decision to retire as difficult due to the strong bonds formed but also conveyed contentment and excitement for her future endeavours. Knight is ranked third among England women’s all-time top run-scorers in both the T20 and ODI formats.
During her career, Knight achieved the distinction of being the first English player to score centuries in all three formats of the game. This included a century in the T20 format during England’s match against Thailand at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. She also played a crucial role in England’s recent ICC Women’s T20 World Cup campaign, scoring 58 runs in the semi-final against South Africa, which helped her team reach the final.
Beaumont’s distinguished career
Tammy Beaumont will also retire from international cricket after the Test match against India. Her international career spans nearly 17 years, having made her debut in 2009. Beaumont has made 260 appearances for England and holds the record as England’s leading female ODI centurion with 12 hundreds.
Beaumont is one of only two English women to have scored international centuries in all three formats of the game. She was also the first English woman to achieve a double century, scoring 208 against Australia at Trent Bridge in 2023. She was named player of the tournament when England lifted the ODI World Cup on home soil in 2017, where she was the top scorer with 410 runs.
Beaumont reflected on her career, stating that playing for England has been the greatest honour. She highlighted the growth of women’s cricket and expressed joy at inspiring young boys and girls. Beaumont views the Test match at Lord’s as the perfect occasion to conclude her career, emphasizing the significance of playing the first women’s Test at the venue.
Both Knight and Beaumont are part of a generation of players who received the first professional contracts in women’s cricket in 2015. Other active players from this group include Nat Sciver-Brunt, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, and Amy Jones. Beaumont has indicated that she will continue to play domestic cricket for teams such as The Blaze and Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred.
Current Test match status
In the ongoing Test match at Lord’s, Heather Knight scored six runs off 25 deliveries before being dismissed by Sayali Staghare. At the end of day two, England trailed India by 269 runs, with Smriti Mandhana and Yastika Bhatia still batting for India. Day three of the Test match is scheduled to be broadcast live from 10:30 AM on Sunday.
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Source: skysports.com
