ICC World Cup 2019 | Hopefully this day could be a landmark for cricket in this country, says Heather Knight

07/16/2019

Heather Knight, who won the World Cup with the England women’s team in 2017, said that she hopes the men’s triumph at Lord’s becomes a landmark for the sport in the UK. Knight said that many of her friends were tuned in, texted her many times trying to wrap their head around the game.

The game of cricket may have been invented by the Englishman. The Lord’s may indeed be the Mecca of cricket. But, there is no doubt that cricket isn’t the UK’s no.1 sport. It’s football. The last time the nation turned all its heads towards cricket was during the Ashes summer of 2005. But, for more than a decade after that, English cricket had nothing else to pride itself on, apart from a T20 World Cup.

Then, the women’s team, led by Knight, lifted the World Cup in 2017. It was a turning point for women’s cricket, not just in the UK, but all over the world. Now, they’ve finally scaled the pinnacle in men’s cricket as well. Writing in the ICC’s media column, Knight said that she is hopeful for the future of the sport in her country after the recent achievements.

“They’ve really captured everyone. I had quite a few friends watching the final and texting me asking me about the rules – these were people who had never really seen the game.. You hope it can be a moment like the 2005 Ashes for England cricket where everyone is talking about it and completely absorbed by what’s happening. It was the perfect final for that. Hopefully this day could be a landmark for cricket in this country” Knight wrote, reported Scroll.

The England captain for the women’s, wrote from her experience two years ago, when they edged India by nine runs to lift the title at Lord’s. She wrote how, in the weeks and months that followed, little stories began to pop up of the influence the win had on people.

“It’s a surreal feeling, I found it very strange and really inspirational. You hear the stories of the people who were there, those who weren’t, where they watched it and how it’s inspired them and their kids. There were a few ex-England players who were trying to get their girls to play cricket for years and it took until they saw us winning the 2017 World Cup for them to get on board. It’s little stories that you hear in the weeks and months after the event that really make the difference,” Knight wrote.

She also expressed her joy for the all-rounder Ben Stokes. Stokes’ 98-ball 84, and some heroics in the super over won him the Man of the Match award in the final. Throughout the World Cup, he stepped with bat, ball, and in the field in crucial moments.

“You could see how much he wanted to get the team over the line – at times it looked like there was redemption for him from the disappointment of Kolkata and the ICC World T20 final, and I think he felt it was his opportunity to take the game and turn things around for him personally. I’m really chuffed for him, he’s desperate to do well for England and he’s a real character and heartbeat of that team.” she wrote.

Knight, also, sympathised with the heartbreak that New Zealand went through, losing in the fashion that they did.

“You have to feel for New Zealand, no team deserved to lose that,” Knight added.