Heather Knight's international retirement: Former England captain "one of the greats", says Tash Farrant

Tash Farrant hailed Heather Knight as "one of the greats" after the former England captain announced her retirement from international cricket.

Knight, 35, will make her England exit alongside Tammy Beaumont at the conclusion of the first women's Test match at Lord's against India this week.

Making her debut in 2010, Knight has gone on to win 320 caps for England, while she captained the side from 2016 to 2025, most notably leading the team to a memorable victory in the 2017 Women's Cricket World Cup on home soil.

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"It's a huge moment, isn't it? She has been one of the greats to ever play for England," former team-mate Farrant said on Sky Sports Cricket.

"She's been so integral to England cricket and women's cricket in general over the last 16 years her career has spanned.

"She would have wanted to go out on her own terms. Not a lot of people are able to do that, and she loves Test match cricket as well, so to be able to play a Test match at Lord's - the first - I'm not surprised by the decision

"England are going to really miss her."

'Gritty', 'hardy' Knight loved the tough times

Farrant added: "I think it will be that 2017 World Cup title here [at Lord's] that will be remembered forever.

"And actually, she came in at a tough time, to follow Charlotte Edwards as England captain is no easy thing to do. For her to be able to galvanise that team quickly and win that World Cup.

"Something that I always admired about her is she was so gritty on the pitch, such a hardy cricketer.

"She loved those tough times, and felt that that's what made her a better cricketer."

Knight is currently ranked third among England's all-time leading run-scorers in T20I and ODI cricket, while she was also the first English player to score centuries in all three formats.

But Farrant also stressed that it was Knight's often 'unnoticed' work off the field that she would most remember her for.

"Playing under her, she was such a good leader - more so for the things that she did off the field," Farrant added.

"She was one of, if not the hardest worker in training, with her fitness.

"As a young player coming through, you can get swept up in international cricket, can't you? And you can lose the bits of your life - your friends, your family - because you're so immersed in it.

"I always had an admiration for Heather as she always had such a lovely balance between working hard - making sure you did everything, so you're ready to be on that pitch - but also the other stuff when we went away on tour, making sure as a captain we got to go and immerse ourselves in the culture of this new country we were in.

"They're the memories that I'll have of her. Not just on the pitch, but the stuff that she did off the pitch. The things that go a little bit unnoticed sometimes."

'Good timing for Knight retirement'

Fellow former England international, Ebony Rainford-Brent, also labelled Knight as a "great" but believes it's the right time for her to retire.

"My first thought was good timing, to be honest," Rainford-Brent said. "I think it's really important to go out on a high.

"She has done so much for the game. She's captained here in a World Cup final win at Lords.

"She would have hoped they could have won again on home soil [in the T20 World Cup], but she got to the final, and I think she's just looking forward, thinking, 'I've got a lot to give off the field and I've given everything on it'.

"Go out when your name is still at its peak. There's nothing worse than players who kind of drag it out."

(c) Sky Sports 2026: Heather Knight's international retirement: Former England captain "one of the greats", says Tash Farrant