Heather Knight

Heather Knight led England's women with quiet steel for nine years after taking over the captaincy in 2016, guiding the team to a World Cup win on home soil in 2017. She never shouted; she solved problems, walking in with the bat at a crisis to steady the innings or moving her fielders with the deliberation of a chess player.

As a batter, Knight is an accumulator with a wide range of strokes, willing to grind through difficult conditions or accelerate when a chase demands it. A century against Pakistan lit up her 2017 World Cup campaign, and her unbeaten 168 in the 2022 Ashes Test at Canberra was one of the innings of that series. She averages around 40 in ODIs, but her real value has always shown in the high-stakes matches.

Off the field, Knight has pushed hard for the growth of the women's game, from pay to support structures, and she has captained London Spirit in The Hundred. England replaced her as captain in 2025 after a heavy Ashes defeat, but she carried on as a senior batter, and her standing as one of the modern greats of the women's game is secure.