Women’s World Cup: Heather Knight on her alter ego, captaincy and playing the guitar

“Being a captain of England becomes a big part of your identity. This is a job that covers everything. Even if you are on holiday, you always think about it.”

Heather Knight was talking as the ninth England captain at the beginning of the article at the beginning of 2024. It would be the last one.

WARNING: This piece contains the language that some readers can find disturbing.

A terrible winter, including early exit from the T20 World Cup and cleaning in ashes, meant that change was inevitable. Even a successful, respected and respected captain like Knight is not safe.

If the replacement of Nat Sciver-Brunt means that some of Knight’s identity has disappeared, there was something that was asleep, ready to be revived and released.

“When I used to enter the team, I had an alter ego,” Knight says to BBC Sport. “Shitbag Shelley.

“When he was in the leadership, that joke, the rebellious side was forced.

“The girls didn’t know that I wasn’t captain anymore. When I sent a message, ‘Watch out, Shitbag Shelley is back.’

For Knight (and probably Shelley), a warning sent to his teammates meant that a decision was taken.

Some leaders have difficulty going back to the ranks. Knight was captain for more than England career. In the same interview last summer, he expressed uncertainty that he could play under another captain.

When he came to Push Scove, Knight found “quite easy” to continue playing for England, but another mishap is around the corner. In May, three matches of Knight, a T20 against West Indies in Chelmsford, suffered a Hamstring injury that took him out for the rest of the summer.

Knight says, “Not just a captain, embracing extra freedom, then explosion, injured,” he says.

“In a high emotional situation, ‘I want to do this rehabilitation, I want to continue to play’. This was a very temporary thought, an emotional reaction to injury.”