Heather Knight Balances London Spirit Role with England Playing Ambitions

But Heather, who captained England to the 2017 Women's ODI World Cup win, said representing England remains her priority, including in this year's T20 World Cup happening on home soil. "I was injured a lot last year, and that gave me a little bit of time to think. As you get a little bit further in your career, you know that it's not going to last forever.

"I've loved my time playing in The Hundred, and being involved with the franchise as a player and as a coach, and it just felt like the right opportunity for me at this time of my career. It means that I can continue to play and still fulfil the playing ambitions that I've got," she was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo on Monday.

Heather's immediate priority is to gain game-time with Somerset ahead of the Women's T20 World Cup in June and July, before turning her focus to the Hundred starting on July 21.

"It's not a sign that I'm going to hang up the boots. Part of the negotiation around me taking this job was that playing for England comes first, and I still have a lot of ambitions in terms of the playing side of things.

"The last couple of years have probably taught me that looking too far ahead is actually quite detrimental in terms of your playing career. I really want to enjoy what I'm doing and stay in the moment. I think that worked really well for me during the 50-over World Cup," she said.

"You obviously have a huge amount of your life being a professional cricketer, and that's very much linked to your identity as well, because you spend more time with your team-mates than you do your family."

"I obviously know a lot of people who have transitioned out of playing, and it's not the easiest thing to do, so part of me doing this is being quite proactive in terms of what comes next, and managing that career transition when eventually it does come," she added.

- IANS