England star batter, Heather Knight expressed her excitement to participate in the upcoming Commonwealth Event. This will be the first time that women’s cricket will be part of the event. The men’s cricket, however, was a part of the 1998 Commonwealth Games that saw South Africa emerge as the winner.
The game of cricket was once a part of the Olympics in 1900 held in Paris. The event witnessed Great Britain emerge as the winner. Recently, Heather Knight shared her views on the Commonwealth Games 2022.
She said that it is going to be a different experience altogether and it might help the game reach a larger audience. She said that it can reach a place that it has never reached before.
“It is a chance for us as a sport to reach some people we have not reached before. A huge stage to show what we can do. The platform to reach so many people is there, so our job is to be successful and show the skills that we have. It is massive how much women’s cricket has changed and this could be another game-changer in terms of reaching new people and a different level,” Knight said.
She added that the cricket can be a part of the Olympics in the future and it might be in T20 format. She also expressed that it might happen well after her retirement.
“I think T20 would be the format, like it is in the Commonwealths, and the conversation would have to be had about schedules,” Knight added. The event will begin from July 29 in Birmingham and will have a grand start as the women’s cricket will make their first ever appearance in the tournament.
The English squad has some new names with the likes of Freya Kamp and Alice Capsey in them, while the experienced Tommy Beaumont us left out. The latter answered with her bat by scoring a century against South Africa on Monday. Knight said that she saw that coming.
“I knew she would get a hundred, knowing Tammy’s character she would have wanted to prove a point,” she said. Knight added that the English side wanted a highly aggressive squad for now and hence had to leave her out.
“It is something completely different. We went to kitting out the other day and it was a brand new experience. To see pictures of outstanding athletes on the wall who have competed for Team England got the goosebumps going. It made the girls realise how different it was going to be and excited for what’s to come,” Knight said.
