‘It’s not a sign that I’m going to hang up my boots’ - Heather Knight dismisses retirement talk after London Spirit backroom appointment

England cricketer Heather Knight has clarified that her appointment as Women’s General Manager at London Spirit should not be interpreted as a sign that she is nearing the end of her playing career. However, she acknowledged that gaining experience in a formal administrative role could play an important part in her transition into life after cricket.

Speaking during the unveiling of London Spirit’s rebranded logo ahead of The Hundred 2026 season, Knight insisted that representing England remains her top priority, including the upcoming T20 World Cup, where she is expected to continue as a central figure. Having missed the last two editions of The Hundred as well as last summer’s campaign for her team, Knight admitted she needs to be proactive when it comes to planning the next phase of her career.

"I was injured a lot last year, and that gave me a little bit of time to think. As you do get a little bit further in your career, you know that it's not going to last forever. I've loved my time playing in the Hundred, and being involved with the franchise as a player and as a coach, and it just felt like the right opportunity for me at this time of my career. It means that I can continue to play and still fulfil the playing ambitions that I've got,” said Knight as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

I’m not going to hang up the boots: Knight

Recently, she featured for Sydney Thunder in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), and her early-season priority will be securing game time with Somerset ahead of the T20 World Cup in June and July. Following that, her focus will shift to The Hundred, which is scheduled to begin on July 21.

"It's not a sign that I'm going to hang up the boots. Part of the negotiation around me taking this job was that playing for England comes first, and I still have a lot of ambitions in terms of the playing side of things. The last couple of years has probably taught me that looking too far ahead is actually quite detrimental in terms of your playing career. I really want to enjoy what I'm doing and stay in the moment,” said Knight.

“I think that worked really well for me during the 50-over World Cup. You obviously have a huge amount of your life being a professional cricketer, and that's very much linked to your identity as well, because you spend more time with your team-mates than you do your family. I obviously know a lot of people that have transitioned out of playing, and it's not the easiest thing to do, so part of me doing this is being quite proactive in terms of what comes next, and managing that career transition when eventually it does come,” she added.

Knight will work closely with Mo Bobat, London Spirit’s director of cricket, as well as her former England head coach Jon Lewis, who was appointed to lead the women’s coaching set-up last month.

"We've got a brilliant relationship. Obviously, it didn't finish how I wanted, but I know the standard of coach that Jon is. We can challenge and support each other really well, and having a really good pre-existing relationship obviously helps going into this sort of role,” Knight said.

Knight’s influence has already been evident in the four women’s squad members announced on Monday, Charlie Dean, who replaced Knight as Spirit captain last summer. South African all-rounder Marizanne Kapp, who played a key role in Oval Invincibles’ back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022, along with Mahika Gaur and Grace Harris.

"When it's a blank sheet of paper, you've got the opportunity to make this the world's best team. Charlie and Grace fit in with that, and when you look at Mahika and Kapp, what an amazing prospect it is, of those two opening the bowling here at Lord's, where the ball probably moves the most for seamers in the whole competition," said Knight.

Gaur’s rate of development impressed me: Knight

Kapp underlined her credentials with a five-wicket haul that knocked England out in last year’s World Cup semi-final. Gaur, meanwhile, is still only 19 but made her international debut for the UAE at the age of 12, before earning her first England cap as a 17-year-old in 2023.

"She's about 6 foot 6, she seems to grow every time I see her. She's struggled getting in the park in the last couple of years, but she's still very young and still getting used to her body. When she played for England, she made a huge impact. She's unique in terms of her point of release, the bounce she gets, and her skills as well. She's still developing, but I think the rate of her development was a reason we wanted to get her on board,” said Knight.