"I am really pleased": Heather Knight on thrilling WC win after 'pretty rubbish year'

Indore (Madhya Pradesh) [India], October 20 (ANI): After a challenging year, former England Women's skipper Heather Knight expressed her delight at simply being part of the World Cup and emphasised the importance of enjoying the experience.

England pulled off a thrilling four-run victory over India in Indore on Sunday, securing their place in the semi-finals of the ICC Women's World Cup.

She revealed that focusing on happiness and embracing the moment has helped her bring out his best in batting.

Knight lost the captaincy at the start of the year following a disappointing Ashes campaign in Australia and her 2025 sunk even further in May when she badly tore her hamstring in a T20I against the West Indies that left her Women's World Cup campaign in doubt.

But months of hard work and rehab has Knight feeling fresh and the 34-year-old displayed her talents with the bat when scoring her third ODI century and leading England to victory with a Player of the Match performance against India in Indore on Sunday that confirmed the side's place in the knockout stages of the World Cup.

It was just rewards for Knight, who used her powerful sweep to her advantage, adding 15 fours and one six as England held on for a narrow four-run triumph.

"I am really pleased. I've had pretty rubbish year, not going to lie before this World Cup. I was really keen to try and make the most of it and try and enjoy just being here because obviously it was pretty tight to make it here. I've made a real conscious effort to try and enjoy the trip and try and enjoy what I do and try and get the best out of myself in my batting through that enjoyment and just being happy to be here," Knight said after the match, as quoted by the ICC.

"I think sometimes you take it for granted when you're kind of on the treadmill of international cricket and when you do get injured, you kind of have that bit of time to kind of reflect and realise how fun it is and the opportunities that you do get and I was really keen to try and make the most of the opportunities during this World Cup and obviously try and contribute as much as I can to the team being successful. That was a pretty awful day (hurting her hamstring in May), to be honest. When I obviously felt my hamstring rip off, that was not that fun. So to be here now and obviously to be over that injury and to be contributing to the team being successful and obviously in the semi-finals now in the World Cup is a cool place to be," she added, as per the ICC

The contest against India was also extra special for Knight as she became just the third player from England and eighth overall to have made 300 international appearances across all formats in women's cricket (ANI)

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