Cricket: Heather Knight named one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year

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Heather Knight

Rochdale-born England cricket Captain Heather Knight has been named among Wisden Almanack’s Five Cricketers of the Year for 2017.

Knight led the women’s team to a triumphant 2017 World Cup victory last summer, one of the closest finals in the tournament's history, with only the 2000 final between Australia and New Zealand decided by a narrower margin of four runs.

The moment she lifted the Cup at Lord’s was described as “the culmination of a personal tour de force that helped change women’s cricket forever,” by editor Lawrence Booth.

England won the ICC Women’s World Cup for a fourth time this summer following previous triumphs in 1973, 1993 and 2009 – overcoming India by just nine runs in front of a capacity crowd at Lord’s and a television audience of 180 million people across the world.

https://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/4/sport-news/111488/cricket-rochdaleborn-heather-knight-captains-england-to-womens-world-cup-victory-over-india

27-year-old Knight began playing cricket in boys’ and men’s teams when she was just eight-years-old after moving to Plymouth as a young girl. A talented right-handed batswoman, she played for Plymstock Cricket Club and at county level for Devon. She was part of the England squad which reclaimed the Ashes against Australia in 2013 and helped retain them in 2014.

Earlier this year, Knight was awarded an OBE on the New Year's honour list for the victory, the fourth for the team and the first for Knight as captain. 

https://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/4/sport-news/115085/heather-knight-awarded-obe-for-leading-england-to-women%E2%80%99s-world-cup-victory

Also named alongside Knight were her World Cup winning teammates Natalie Sciver and Anya Shrubsole, who also became the first woman to appear on the book’s cover, plus Essex seam bowler Jamie Porter and West Indies batsman Shai Hope.

Previously, only two women have been chosen for the accolade: Claire Taylor in 2009 and Charlotte Edwards in 2014.