Knight sacking leaves ‘enormous shoes to fill’ – who may England turn to?

It was unavoidable that England would have a new coach and captain in the summer of 2025 given the catastrophic nature of the Ashes defeat at the start of the year.

However, this is not well-known territory.

Three permanent women’s captains have been in place in England since 2000, and all three are capable of a significant contribution in the coming era.

The appointment of Charlotte Edwards as the next coach, as well as Heather Knight, who has been in charge of the organization for the past nine years before being fired on Saturday, are all under the control of former women’s cricket managing director Clare Connor, who will oversee the selection process.

A year after her appointment, Knight, a former captain, was given the immense task of filling the shoes of an old master with the task of bridging the amateur and professional generations.

But it finally came to an end, with her own side being humiliated by their greatest rivals, who had to continue to hold back the emotions after each difficult interview and play the vast Melbourne Cricket Ground outfield while watching Australia’s triumphant celebrations come to an end.

And while the most recent thrashing shouldn’t have been the end all, head coach Jon Lewis’ substitution on Friday has been pivotal.

Ashes defeats most professional sports, which is merciless, more than most.

In some ways, Knight’s captaincy is best summarized by the 199 matches in charge.

An incredible accomplishment in terms of longevity, desire, and resolve, but also lacking.

The Lord’s Stadium scene in July 2017, when England won the 50-over World Cup by nine runs, was so promising.

Mark Robinson, who had made the ruthless decision a year earlier to leave Edwards and start the next generation, had immediately succeeded Knight in doing so.

Despite all the more money being put into England’s domestic structure, The Hundred, and the opportunities for players from other countries to become franchise owners, there has been little improvement since then. The wait is now up to eight years.

Of course, Knight is not entirely to blame for that. She became the first woman to reach a century in all three formats as a captain, posting an average of just shy of 58 in Tests, 37.10 in one-day internationals, and 30.19 in T20s.

She is also defined by the field’s contributions, not just those made. Knight has always stood out in the crowd with her professionalism, work ethic, and media relations, standing up for what is right after defeats, and standing up for women’s rights in the game.

In preparation for the Ashes Test match, Knight visited Melbourne’s Junction Oval to watch Afghanistan’s female cricketers play their historic exhibition match. Prior to that, Knight had previously requested more support from the International Cricket Council (ICC).

In September 2024, the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) made the charge that Knight had been fined for being pictured in blackface when she was 21.

Knight apologized and accepted the charge, claiming that she had learned from the past and that the CDC had determined there was “no racist intent.”

Isa Guha, a former England bowler and current Test Match Special commentator, described Knight as “brilliant with people, selfless, resilient, and accountable.”

The most important question of all is this.

The management’s lack of succession planning is now returning to haunt them at a very difficult time due to Knight’s steady, comforting presence at the helm.

In time for the white-ball series against West Indies, which will be followed by India’s arrival at the end of June, before a potentially challenging 50-over World Cup in India at the end of the summer, they have until May 21 to appoint a new coach and captain.

There is no justification, though. England has nine years to make future plans, but they haven’t succeeded.

Consider the seamless transition between Tahlia McGrath, Annabel Sutherland, and Phoebe Litchfield, who all appear to be capable, future candidates, and Alyssa Healy, who both injured her calf before the opening Ashes T20.

Given that she was Knight’s deputy and indicated her desire to succeed, Nat Sciver-Brunt appears to be the most likely replacement. However, England crashed under her leadership during the Commonwealth Games when Knight was injured, and the same happened with last year’s abominable T20 World Cup group exit.

England needs to be wary of adding any more to Sciver-Brunt’s workload because she already leads the batting lineup, has the best batsman, and is expecting for the first time.

While other senior players in Kate Cross and Tammy Beaumont do not play all formats, Amy Jones is another who has previously served as Knight’s deputy but acknowledged the role did not come naturally to her, making her return unlikely.

Off-spinner Charlie Dean hasn’t had the opportunity to join England as a future captain in the past few years, but he has.

The world’s best bowler, Sophie Ecclestone, is another outsider contender with leadership experience from The Hundred. However, her refusal to speak with former team-mate and current pundit Alex Hartley during the Ashes resulted in unwanted headlines and attention for England’s team culture and perception.

There is no better leader to learn from than Knight’s nine-year tenure, despite the fact that it is unlikely to be repeated.