The 'Knight' who doesn't need the shining armour

“We talked about taking the game on.”

The statement has intent writ large and the player who said the words walked the talk not just once but twice in two matches. Heather Knight took guard on Friday (January 31) against India when England were 9 for 2 in the third over. She was there when the side slipped further into mush and were tottering at 59 for 4 at the ten-over mark.

Knight took her time, got her eye in, and gauged the conditions before teeing off towards the end, getting to her second T20I fifty. It wasn’t a slow one as it came off 38 balls. She was eventually dismissed for 67 off just 44 balls. That innings exhibited the shots she had in her repertoire – the swanky reverse-sweeps, that often dumbfounded the fielder at backward point were noteworthy.

On Saturday (February 1), the story was similar, if not the same. England had been put in to bat again and Amy Jones’ dismissal for a painstaking 10 off 24 balls meant their innings was devoid of much momentum when Knight walked in at 32 for 2 in the eighth over. Yet again she took her time, like she does. Because she wasn’t really new to the situation.

Through much of the Women’s Cricket Super League (WCSL) in 2019, Knight found herself walking in early. Then too, she used to resurrect Western Storm’s innings, often in the company of Fran Wilson. The pair's output through the league stage helped Storm eventually seal their spot at the top of the table. Fittingly, in the final, Knight stayed unbeaten on 78 and steered Storm to the title win. She was their leading run-getter and third overall in the WCSL with 392 runs at an average of 49.

ALSO READ: WCSL sets a benchmark for The Hundred

In the fifth edition of Women’s Big Bash League in 2019, she scored a couple of half centuries, both coming in earlier than she would have liked. The 77-run knock against Sydney Thunder saw her wage a lone battle but, nonetheless, showed her class and mettle.

So, she has been used to doing this stuff… Walking in with her team in a spot of bother and, not only resurrecting the innings but also putting them in a position from where they may be able to call the shots.

78 - Heather Knight posted her highest ever T20I score during @englandcricket's Super Over victory over Australia (78); she has scored 43+ in each of her last 3 knocks in the format. Performance. #AUSvENG pic.twitter.com/hYK7KbPQNH

— OptaJim (@OptaJim) February 1, 2020

“That’s what we want to do,” the English skipper said after their win over Australia on Saturday. “We want to punch back under pressure and put the pressure back on the opposition.”

On Saturday again Knight took stock of the situation and then at 39 for 3 in the ninth over, with Wilson for company, began slowly and steadily laying a foundation from which England could launch. By taking minimum risks, the pair kept the scoreboard ticking, forcing the pressure back on to Australia.

But after the tenth over, there was a noticeable change – each over since then had at least one boundary in it. There was no over where less than seven runs were scored.

“We talked about eights and nines and getting one boundary an over,” she revealed later. “That’s what we were aiming to do – keep it simple and stick to our strengths. Then when you get to the back end, try and get as many as you can.”

In the 17^th over, Knight took a special liking to Delissa Kimmince, the Aussie pacer. She first launched a booming hit over the bowler’s head for four, before choosing to go big over mid-wicket. Then, when she was given a hint of width, she crashed it square on the off side and soon, crossed her third half century – second in consecutive games – in just 36 balls.

It wasn’t just the bowlers she was facing, though. Knight had to battle the conditions as well, which weren’t really kind, more so for an English player. The temperature was hovering in the forties and she also admitted to being dizzy in the middle. But she tried cooling herself down, kept herself hydrated and did all the damage she could.

“When you are set as a batter in T20s, you are able to score quickly,” she admitted. The England skipper did just that – much like a driver who picks up the pace seeing a clear road ahead after motoring through miles of slow-moving traffic. Or, like a runner who ambles at the start only to speed up and cover the last lap as fast as (s)he can.

She was on 60 off 40 balls when the final six balls were to be bowled. Megan Schutt, who was to bowl those half-a-dozen, is no ordinary bowler. But Knight cared for nothing at that point and teed off like a bullet from a gun. She had made her highest T20I score against India on Friday and bettered it on Saturday, eventually being dismissed for 78 off 45 balls – yes, 18 runs in her last five balls! Schutt's over went for 20.

England had yet again tricked the opposition into believing that they were going to be bundled out meekly, only to post a challenging, or a par, total, all thanks to Heather Knight.

And it was Knight again who hit the winning runs after the match had gone into the Super Over.

HEATHER KNIGHT WINS IT FOR ENGLAND! #AUSvENG pic.twitter.com/1bq8t7n9or

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) February 1, 2020

The key for England to lift the World Cup, in recent times, has been for Knight to have a purple patch. In 2017 when the team won their last championship, Knight averaged 50.30 in ODIs, scoring over 500 runs.

She has begun T20Is in 2020 with a bang. Will that T20 World Cup trophy have a different home then?