Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Heather Knight made her 300th international appearance during last year's World Cup in India
Heather Knight hopes this summer's T20 World Cup on home soil can be transformative for women's cricket in the UK after conceding success in 2017 was not fully capitalised on.
Knight, 35, captained England to victory in the 2017 showpiece event at Lord's and is currently preparing for this year's T20 tournament, which begins in 50 days' time when England take on Sri Lanka at Edgbaston
"I think there probably wasn't the structure in place to really maximise it in 2017," Knight told BBC Sport.
"Obviously domestic cricket in this country wasn't professional. We're in a completely different place now. There is that real scaffolding and it's a lot more normal to be a woman in sport, which is really exciting and hopefully we can capitalise on it a little bit more."
In the nine years since 2017, Knight has seen the domestic game transform through the introduction of a professional domestic structure and The Hundred.
England, however, have not won an ICC trophy in that time. They reached the finals of the T20 and 50-over editions in 2018 and 2022 respectively but lost both to Australia, and were beaten by South Africa in the semi-finals of both the 2023 and 2025 tournaments.
In 2024, they failed to make it out of the T20 World Cup group stage after a defeat by West Indies but Knight hopes a recent revamp to the current county structure will pay off.
"I think we've seen that in this country over the last few years how investment and how having the right structures, [and] The Hundred, the domestic set-up is in a really good spot now. So if you get that right, the rest will follow," Knight says.
"I think what it [2017] did do was change perceptions of what women's cricket could be if it was done properly, if it was funded properly."
The England and Wales Cricket Board's Head of Strategic Growth, Gemma Barton, acknowledges the need to grasp the momentum of being hosts.
"We aren't waiting until the tournament to find out if England win to see whether we can create legacy. From that point [2017] onwards, we have then started to see those foundations grow and that base build," she explained.
"Last year, 24,000 women's fixtures were held across England and Wales. So that growth has taken its time, but now we're reaping the rewards of those great foundations from that strategy."
'I don't know how this happened' - Bell on leading England's attack
Published9 AprilEngland fitness issues put to bed - Edwards
Published30 MarchOn a personal level, Knight, a veteran of 10 separate World Cups, is refusing to speculate if this will be her final ICC tournament, revealing that she entertained the idea ahead of previous events.
"I put a lot of pressure on myself to try and perform because I thought 'this might be my last one, I really want to do well', and it wasn't particularly helpful. And that's certainly something I've taken into the last two or three years," she says.
"I want to live in the moment and to try and contribute as much as I can and yeah who knows? If I'm playing well, if I'm enjoying it and if I'm still wanted there could be things in the future."
After home success for England's football and rugby union sides – the Lionesses and Red Roses - in recent years, Knight says this tournament represents a chance to inspire a new generation of cricketers.
"If we can be successful and perform really well, we can leave a legacy of women's cricket in this country. I think that's a huge privilege and a huge opportunity that we're really excited for," Knight says.