The significance of Heather Knight’s legacy is difficult to measure.
In the numbers game, her influence goes far beyond that.
The former captain saw it all in a record 320 matches, 199 of which he captained over nine grueling but era-defining years.
The euphoric high of winning the World Cup at Lord’s in 2017, the same occasion on which she now retires from the game, is matched by the crushing low of Ash’s brutal beating that brought the curtain down on her captaincy.
Throughout it all, good and bad, she has been exemplary in her professionalism.
She gave difficult interviews after every loss, never wavered in supporting her teammates, endlessly resorting to brutal bribes after injuries threatened to end her career before she was ready.
It’s fitting, and a testament to her character, that when asked about the highlights of her career, Knight mentioned her work off the field rather than what fans and the media saw of her.
Knight replaced the legendary Charlotte Edwards as captain in 2016, two years after England’s first central contracts were introduced, and was tasked with guiding the team through the transition from amateur to professional.
She also spoke about the huge pay gap between the men’s and women’s competitions on The 100.
Unlike her predecessor Nat Skiver-Brant, the feeling of calm and security when Knight was in the middle is something that very few have been able to replicate.
And Ash’s humiliation should not and does not destroy everything she leaves behind. She deserved her farewell parade under the sun of God.
From Heather Knight to English cricket, it’s goodbye. From English cricket to Knight, it’s gratitude.