Five candidates to replace Heather Knight as England's next captain
England face a tough ask to replace their outgoing skipper, but have a number of potential players that could easily fill the void. We take a look at the five most likely successors to Heather Knight.
By Jonathan Healy
Having an excellent captain is crucial to any successful team and it says much about Heather Knight, and her tenure as England skipper, just how well the side have performed during her nine-year reign in charge.
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Knight led the side to the ultimate team success at the 2017 edition of the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup and followed up that effort with a runner-up finish behind Australia at the most recent tournament in New Zealand in 2022.
The team also finished second behind Australia at the 2018 ICC Women's T20 World Cup and had progressed to the knockout stages of every ICC tournament with Knight at the helm until last year’s early exit from that event.
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It's always tough to replace a good leader and England have a couple of months to get their appointment right ahead of their next international series at home against the West Indies in May.
This year’s 50-over World Cup in India is also on the horizon, with England among the sides that will fancy their chances of coming out on top in the sub-continent.
We take a look at five potential candidates that may be considered for the vacant role as England captain.
9 years later and many incredible achievements as captain 👏 pic.twitter.com/clA9kn183t
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) March 22, 2025
1. Nat Sciver-Brunt
Sciver-Brunt is the most obvious person to fill the void, given she has been Knight's long-time deputy as vice-captain and has plenty of experience in leading a side in England’s domestic The Hundred competition.
While Sciver-Brunt is already 32 years old, she is still one of the best white-ball players in the world given she is inside the top five rankings for batters and all-rounders in ODI cricket.
Sciver-Brunt recently suggested she would love the opportunity to captain the side on a full-time basis and could seamlessly slot into the role quickly.
The negative might be that the all-rounder already has a lot on her plate and failed to deliver when Knight was out injured during the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022.
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2. Charlie Dean
Dean has been earmarked as a captaincy candidate for a while now and could be given the chance to take the top job if England want to look to the next generation of players.
Dean led the London Spirit in The Hundred when Knight was out injured in 2022 and could be eased into the role given Knight has indicated she plans to continue in the side as a batter.
3. Danni Wyatt-Hodge
A somewhat left-field option could be experienced opener Danni Wyatt-Hodge, who is well liked within the England setup and is a strong performer when fulfilling media duties.
Wyatt-Hodge is England's highest ranked player on the T20I batter rankings in equal 11th spot and was also the side's leading run-scorer at last year's T20 World Cup in Dubai.
While Wyatt-Hodge is already 33 years old, she is showing no signs of slowing down and looks to have plenty of good years ahead at international level.
4. Sophie Ecclestone
Ecclestone could be the most logical choice to replace Knight, given she is the best white-ball bowler in the world, is the perfect age to take on the top job, is well respected by her teammates and has shown a liking to the position with her role as skipper of the Manchester Originals in The Hundred.
The left-armer could well help bridge the gap between the experienced players in the group and the next generation of stars and the timing looks right for Ecclestone to take on the position and further strengthen her credentials.
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5. Tammy Beaumont
Another potential option would be to hand the reins to the experienced Beaumont for a short period, who seemingly still has a few years left at the top level despite not being a walk-up start in all formats.
Beaumont was dropped by England prior to their campaign at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and once again missed out on selection at last year's T20 World Cup.
The 34-year-old has often responded to the disappointment of missing out on selection by scoring bulk runs and has plenty of captaincy experience with England's academy sides and with the Welsh Fire in The Hundred.