England’s Knight targeting World Cup as she recovers from hamstring injury

Former England cricket captain Heather Knight believes she is on track to be fit for the World Cup as she prepares to capitalise on her injury misfortune by cheering on the Lionesses at Euro 2025.

The 34-year-old’s summer was ruined by a significant hamstring tendon issue suffered during last month’s T20 clean sweep against the West Indies.

Unable to feature in the upcoming series against India, she has instead booked a holiday to Switzerland and plans to watch Sarina Wiegman’s England launch their European Championship title defence with Group D fixtures against France and the Netherlands in Zurich on July 5 and 9.

This year’s ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in India is scheduled to begin on September 30, with England’s opening match coming against South Africa on October 3.

“That World Cup is what I’m aiming for, it’s what I’ve got my sights set on,” Knight said.

“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.

“Things are tracking pretty well to hopefully be fit for that. 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.”

Knight, who sat out three subsequent ODIs against the Windies and is also missing London Spirit’s defence of The Hundred, was on crutches for two weeks but avoided surgery.

She is determined to make the most of her enforced absence amid the “extremely dull” rehabilitation process.

“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,” said Knight.

“I always love watching women’s sport and it’s the opportunity to go to a pretty cool country.

“I know a few of the players loosely: I’ve done a few bits with Leah [Williamson, England captain] and come across a few of the girls at events.

“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 in this country and changed the face of football.”

It has been a difficult few months for Knight.

She was stripped of the England captaincy following nine years in the role in the wake of an Ashes humiliation in Australia before sustaining the long-term injury in the early weeks of the new era under head coach 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 of the captaincy, which passed to Nat Sciver-Brunt.

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

Alongside England men’s captain Ben Stokes, Knight has given her name to a new national state school competition, which will launch in 2026 and conclude with finals at Lord’s.

The Barclays Knight-Stokes Cup – named after two of England’s greatest state-educated cricketers and the brainchild of another ex-England skipper, Michael Vaughan – aims to drive state school participation in the sport.

“It’s really important that we keep making cricket accessible,” said Knight. “I’m really proud to put my name to it.”