Heather Knight has left her role as England captain after almost nine years.

The 34-year-old skippered England 199 times since 2016 and guided the team to World Cup glory in 2017 alongside two other finals.

The news comes 24 hours after Jon Lewis was axed as head coach following their recent 16-0 multi-format Ashes series defeat. Lewis was relieved of his duties a little over two years on from his appointment in November 2022 after England’s failure to win a game across three T20s, three ODIs and the Test match in Australia.

Knight initially said she would consider her future as captain after the Ashes catastrophe and this announcement leaves England looking for a new leadership of their women’s side. She’s set to remain in the ranks as a player.

“Captaining my country for the last nine years has been the biggest honour of my life and I will look back on my tenure with an enormous sense of pride,” said Knight. “I have loved the challenge of leading the team, but all good things come to an end and it’s time for me to go back into the ranks and focus on being the best batter and teammate that I can be for the team.

“Winning the ICC Women’s World Cup on home turf at Lord’s in 2017 will always be a huge highlight, but being a part of the huge steps forward made in the women’s game off the pitch brings me just as much pride. Now I’m excited to focus on my batting and supporting the team and the new captain in the best way I can.”