Heather Knight ruled out of home summer after hamstring injury

Heather Knight faces a race against time to be fit for the Women's World Cup in India in September, after suffering a "significant tendon injury" in her right hamstring during her matchwinning innings against West Indies last week.

Knight, England's former captain, made 66 not out from 47 balls in the third T20I at Chelmsford on Monday to set up their 3-0 clean sweep of the series. However, she was visibly hampered by a hamstring injury for the latter part of her innings and did not take the field for the second half of the match.

A subsequent MRI scan has now revealed the full extent of the injury, and she has been ruled out of the remainder of the international summer, including this week's ODI series against West Indies and the visit of India in June and July, as well as the Women's Hundred in August.

Knight will now undergo further assessment with the England Women's medical team to determine the next steps of her rehabilitation.

"Although no return date can be set at this stage, it is hoped Heather will be available for selection for the ICC Women's World Cup in September 2025," said the ECB in a statement.

Responding to the news in an Instagram post, Knight wrote: " It was fun whilst it lasted...

"Unfortunately l've damaged my right hamstring tendon pretty badly and I'll miss the rest of the international summer and the hundred, but l've got the World Cup in my sights.

"Pretty gutted, it's not the best timing, but I'll be doing everything I can to get back asap. I've been here before and I'll face this head on like all the challenges l've had in my career."

Knight had already been replaced in England's ODI squad by Alice Capsey, who made 4 in her only innings of the T20I leg of West Indies' tour, also at Chelmsford.

However, her vast experience will be harder for England to replace, as they continue their rebuild under the new captaincy of Nat Sciver-Brunt, who took over the role in April after Knight's nine-year tenure was brought to an end.

"It's pretty obvious that the senior players are going to have to step up and help Nat out," Kate Cross, England's seamer said. "Nat's learning to be an international captain now. So she's not the finished article, I think she'll admit that herself, but we all want to help out where we can, and try and take a bit of the burden off her.

"We're obviously all devastated for Heather," Cross added. "We're all sending her lots of love. We know how hard she works and how diligent she is with her fitness. She's no stranger to injuries, but I don't think that makes it any easier. But having that big competition and trophy in mind will give her the motivation to make sure that she's there for it at the end of the summer."

Despite her injury, Knight was the stand-out performer at Chelmsford, guiding her side to a competitive 144 for 5 in the first innings, as England's dominance was challenged for the first time in the series.

"Her innings was pretty special to get us up to that total, being a competitive and winning score in the end," said Sciver-Brunt, who was England's next-best batter for the match with 37 off 40. "That just shows her class and experience."

Her calm influence in the field was arguably missed as well, with England dropping three catches in as many balls in West Indies' run-chase - an echo of their terrible display against the same opponents at the T20 World Cup in Dubai last year, when Knight had once again suffered an injury while batting and could not take the field.

In 2022, Knight underwent hip surgery on a labral tear that had been hampering her for several months, and which caused her to miss that summer's Commonwealth Games in Birmingham - another tournament in which England under-performed in her absence.

The World Cup in India is the first big staging post for England's rebooted regime under new head coach Charlotte Edwards. The tournament, which England last won under Knight's leadership in 2017, gets underway on September 29, with the final slated for Mullanpur on October 26.