Heather Knight Misses Hundred as England Falters After Good Start

Heather Knight regrets falling five runs shy of a century in her 100th cricket match as England captain. Her side finished with 269 for six after day one of the women’s Test against India in Bristol.

Leading from the front at the Bristol County Ground, the English cricketer was given out leg before wicket in the last hour of play, just five runs short of what Knight would have otherwise celebrated as her second Test century.

England’s batting on the opening day was admirable, with the pitch not showing signs of previous use. For her 95 runs, Knight faced 175 deliveries, including four boundaries.

However, as the day started coming to an end, the Indian spinners stepped up their game. England slipped from its comfortable position of 230 for two, losing four late wickets for 39. It will be interesting to see how this will affect India’s odds for winning on sports bettings sites.

“[I’m] just really frustrated, to be honest”, Knight commented on her innings, which included a 90-run partnership with Nat Sciver for the third wicket. “I felt like I was going really well and had worn the Indian bowlers down quite a lot and was starting to cash in a little bit on our hard work and was starting to score a bit more freely”, she explained and added: “The partnership that me and Nat had, we felt that we could take the game forward a lot faster because runs were coming a lot more easily, and then we lost a few wickets, so I was frustrated at the time I got out as well for the team.”

The Bristol match was a historic occasion as 22-year-old Sophia Dunkley became the first Black woman to play Test cricket for England, having just been given her first central contract this June. Dunkley’s call-up came after an impressive start to the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, scoring 104no and 92 in three innings.