LONDON: Heather Knight will succeed retired batting great Charlotte Edwards as captain of the England women’s team, it was announced on Friday.

Last month saw Edwards call time on a pioneering 20-year career that included leading England to glory in the Ashes, World Cup and ICC World T20, winning a world-record 309 caps and scoring over 10,000 runs across all formats.

However, the 36-year-old Edwards, whose career saw women’s cricket move from an amateur to a professional sport, was effectively forced to retire by England women’s coach Mark Robinson.

That followed a disappointing women’s World T20 in India where Robinson reckoned England “wilted” during a semi-final defeat by a more youthful Australia side.

Now the leadership has passed to 25-year-old former vice-captain Knight, who said on Friday: “There is a lot of change going on but sometimes change brings out the best in people.

“There are some really exciting young players coming through the academy and now the [English domestic T20 women’s] Super League is starting this summer that will really help with that.”

Knight’s first series as skipper will come when England are at home to Pakistan in three ODIs later this month.

Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2016