Heather Knight to Bow Out After Lord’s Test: England Great Leaves Beh…

Trisha Ghosal, London

There are still two days left in the landmark women’s Test between England and India at Lord’s, but Saturday belonged to Heather Knight. Amid India’s commanding position in the contest, England’s former captain announced that the ongoing Test will be the final international match of her illustrious 16-year career. Rather than waiting for the final ball to reflect on her journey, Knight has chosen the most symbolic stage in women’s cricket to bid farewell—a historic Test at the Home of Cricket that marks yet another milestone in the game’s evolution. mieszalniakolorado.pl

Knight will leave the international stage as England Women’s most-capped cricketer, having represented her country in 320 matches since making her debut in 2010. Across formats, she has scored 7,988 international runs, including six centuries, and became the first England cricketer, male or female, to register international hundreds in all three formats – Tests, ODIs and T20Is. Those achievements reflect not only exceptional quality but also remarkable consistency throughout an era in which women’s cricket evolved into a fully professional sport.

If Charlotte Edwards laid the foundations of modern England women’s cricket, Knight ensured the game continued to grow. Taking over the captaincy in 2016 following Edwards’ retirement, she embraced one of the toughest jobs in English cricket and made it her own. Knight captained England in 199 internationals, winning 134 of them, with the defining moment coming at Lord’s in 2017 when she lifted the ICC Women’s World Cup after a memorable victory over India. That triumph inspired a new generation of girls to take up the sport and accelerate the growth of women’s cricket across England.

Her influence extended well beyond her own tenure as captain. Even under Nat Sciver-Brunt’s leadership, Knight continued to deliver on the biggest stage. Her fluent, match-winning 109 against India in the 2025 ODI World Cup in Indore was a reminder of the qualities that defined her batting. Named Player of the Match, she produced an innings built on composure rather than brute force. Watching from the press box at the Holkar Stadium, I found myself mesmerised by the way she constructed those 109 runs. One stroke, in particular, has stayed with me. Off just the 11th ball of her innings, Knight waited deep in her crease as Renuka Singh Thakur offered width outside off before opening the face of the bat to guide a late cut to the boundary. It was a quintessential Heather Knight shot. Her batting was never about raw power; it was about grace, elegance, impeccable timing, creativity and, above all, the ability to absorb pressure before standing up for her team when it mattered most.

Statistics alone, however, cannot define Knight’s influence. Calm under pressure, composed in adversity and deeply respected within the dressing room, she became one of the game’s most dependable leaders. Whether anchoring England’s batting or guiding a young side through periods of transition, she embodied professionalism, resilience and quiet authority.

The timing of her farewell feels especially poignant. This week, Lord’s hosted its first-ever women’s Test, exactly the kind of occasion that reflects how far the women’s game has travelled during Knight’s career. By announcing her retirement during the match, while the contest is still unfolding, she has symbolically passed the baton to the next generation entrusted with taking the game forward.

The final result of the Test is yet to be written, but Heather Knight’s legacy is already secure. After Charlotte Edwards, she stands among England’s finest batters and captains, leaving the international game in a far stronger place than she found it. As Lord’s celebrates a landmark chapter in women’s cricket, Knight’s farewell serves as a reminder that the sport’s progress has been shaped by those willing to leave it better than they inherited it.

Follow Revsportz for latest sports news

The post Heather Knight to Bow Out After Lord’s Test: England Great Leaves Behind a Legacy That Transformed Women’s Cricket appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.

FIFA has cleared up the controversy surrounding Jude Bellingham’s equaliser in England’s dramatic World Cup 2026 win over Norway, confirming connected ball technology found no evidence the ball struck an overhead camera cable. The ruling explains why the goal stood, despite footage sparking debate and frustration from Norway. England ultimately advanced to the semi-finals after a 2-1 extra-time victory.

Florida [US], July 12 (ANI): England captain Harry Kane said the Three Lions still have room for improvement despite reaching the semifinals of the FIFA World Cup 2026 with a 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway.

Reflecting on the team’s performance, Kane revealed that head coach Thomas Tuchel congratulated the players after the match but also stressed that England could raise their level further in the tournament.

“[Tuchel] just said there in the changing room, obviously, wow, massive congratulations, and we should enjoy it and celebrate," Kane told ITV, as quoted by The Athletic.

“But he still feels like there’s a part of him that knows we can do better, which in a way is a good thing. If we’re in a semi-final of a World Cup knowing we can still improve, still find another level, then yeah, we’ve got to take that as a positive," he added.

After England’s win, England manager Thomas Tuchel admitted his side were fortunate to come away with a victory over Norway.

“We made life very, very difficult for ourselves today. The result is fantastic – we’re in the last four – but I’m not happy with the performance. We got lucky today. We need to play better. We will get better, we need to get better," Tuchel said after the match, as quoted by FIFA.

Kane also highlighted the team’s resilience, saying England had repeatedly shown the mentality required to succeed in knockout football.

“We have the most important ingredients as a team, we showed that again today. If we can just start ticking a little bit better with the ball, with possession, then yeah, we’ve got a couple of big games ahead," Kane told ITV, as quoted by The Athletic.

England came from behind to defeat Norway 2-1 after extra time and secure a place in the semifinals of the FIFA World Cup 2026. Jude Bellingham starred with both goals, scoring a first-half stoppage-time equaliser before netting the winner in extra time to complete the comeback.

Norway had taken the lead through Andreas Schjelderup, while a second-half goal from Torbjorn Heggem was ruled out following a VAR review.

Bellingham was named Player of the Match as England advanced to face either defending champions Argentina or Switzerland in the semifinals. Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford also became England’s most-capped goalkeeper in World Cup history with his 18th tournament appearance. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

ઇંગ્લેન્ડે પણ સેમિફાઇનલમાં સ્થાન મેળવ્યું.ક્વાર્ટર ફાઇનલમાં તેમણે નોર્વેને 2-1થી હરાવ્યું.ઇંગ્લેન્ડ માટે બંને ગોલ મિડફિલ્ડર જુડ બેલિંગહામે કર્યા હતા.આ બે ગોલ સાથે બેલિંગહામે પેલેના રેકોર્ડની બરાબરી કરી.આ ચોથી વખત છે જ્યારે ઇંગ્લેન્ડ ફિફા વર્લ્ડ કપના સેમિફાઇનલમાં પહોંચ્યું છે. અગાઉ, ઇંગ્લેન્ડ 1966, 1990 અને 2018 વર્લ્ડ કપમાં સેમિફાઇનલમાં પહોંચ્યું હતું.

જુડ બેલિંગહામે ઇંગ્લેન્ડનો ડ્રોને સજ્જ કર્યો

ઇંગ્લેન્ડ અને નોર્વે વચ્ચેની ક્વાર્ટર ફાઇનલ મેચ મિયામી સ્ટેડિયમ ખાતે રમાઈ હતી.મેચનો પહેલો ગોલ નોર્વે માટે એન્ડ્રેસ શેલ્ડ્રેપે 36મી મિનિટે કર્યો હતો.આ સાથે એન્ડ્રેસ ફિફા વર્લ્ડ કપ ક્વાર્ટર ફાઇનલમાં ગોલ કરનાર પ્રથમ નોર્વેજીયન ખેલાડી બન્યો. જ્યારે એન્ડ્રેસના ગોલે નોર્વેને લીડ અપાવી,ત્યારે ઇંગ્લેન્ડે પ્રથમ હાફના અંત પહેલા 1-1થી સ્કોર બરાબર કર્યો.વધારાના સમયની બીજી મિનિટે જુડ બેલિંગહામે ઇંગ્લેન્ડ માટે પહેલો ગોલ કર્યો. હકીકતમાં,તેણે 47મી મિનિટે ઇંગ્લેન્ડ માટે બરાબરી કરી.

https://x.com/FIFAWorldCup/status/2076093429562630606?s=20

જુડ બેલિંગહામે સેમિફાઇનલમાં ઇંગ્લેન્ડનું સ્થાન સુરક્ષિત કર્યું

પ્રથમ હાફ 1-1 થી ડ્રોમાં સમાપ્ત થયા પછી, બીજો હાફ વધુ રોમાંચક બન્યો. નિર્ધારિત સમયમાં કોઈ પણ ટીમ ગોલ કરી શકી નહીં. જોકે, બીજા હાફમાં વધારાના સમયની ત્રીજી મિનિટે, ઇંગ્લેન્ડના મિડફિલ્ડર જુડ બેલિંગહામ ફરી એકવાર ગોલ કરવામાં સફળ રહ્યા. પરિણામે, ઇંગ્લેન્ડે નોર્વે સામેની મેચ 2-1થી જીતી લીધી અને સેમિફાઇનલમાં પ્રવેશ કર્યો.

જુડ બેલિંગહામે પેલેની બરાબરી કેવી રીતે કરી?

નોર્વે સામે ક્વાર્ટર ફાઇનલમાં બે ગોલ કરીને, જુડ બેલિંગહામે ફિફા વર્લ્ડ કપમાં 23 વર્ષ કે તેથી ઓછી ઉંમરના ખેલાડી દ્વારા કરવામાં આવેલા સૌથી વધુ ગોલ માટે પેલેની બરાબરી કરી. હાલમાં બંનેના સાત-સાત ગોલ છે. કાયલિયન એમબાપ્પે 12 ગોલ સાથે યાદીમાં ટોચ પર છે. બેલિંગહામ પેલે પછી બીજા સૌથી નાના ફૂટબોલર પણ છે, જેણે સતત બે ફિફા વર્લ્ડ કપ નોકઆઉટ મેચમાં બે કે તેથી વધુ ગોલ કર્યા છે. જુડ બેલિંગહામ ઇંગ્લેન્ડ માટે એક જ વર્લ્ડ કપમાં સૌથી વધુ ગોલ કરવાનો રેકોર્ડ તોડવાની દિશામાં પણ આગળ વધી રહ્યો છે. હાલમાં, છ ગોલ સાથે, તે ગેરી લિંકર અને હેરી કેન સાથે બરાબર છે.

આ પણ વાંચો - South Africaના ફૂટબોલર જેડન એડમ્સનું 25 વર્ષની ઉંમરે નિધન, FIFA વર્લ્ડકપમાં રમી હતી મેચ

Rome [Italy], July 12 (ANI): The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has appointed former captain and legendary defender Paolo Maldini as its new Technical Director, bringing one of the country’s most celebrated football figures back into the national team setup as Italy looks to rebuild its fortunes on the international stage.

The federation announced the appointment through its official channels, confirming that Maldini will work alongside Leonardo, who has been named as an advisor, according to FIFA.

“It is with great pleasure that the FIGC President, Giovanni Malago, announces that Paolo Maldini has accepted the role of Technical Director of the Federation. Paolo Maldini will carry out this role alongside Leonardo, who will serve as an advisor," the federation said in a statement.

Maldini’s appointment comes at a pivotal moment for Italian football. While the Azzurri celebrated UEFA EURO 2020 success under Roberto Mancini, the national side has struggled to maintain its standing in world football, having failed to qualify for the last three editions of the FIFA World Cup.

One of the greatest defenders to have played the game, Maldini represented Italy 127 times during an international career that spanned more than a decade. He captained the national team from 1993 until 2002, with his final appearance coming in Italy’s Round of 16 defeat to Korea Republic at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Renowned for his leadership, consistency and longevity, Maldini remains one of the most iconic figures in Italian football. His experience extends beyond his playing career, having enjoyed success in football administration as sporting director of AC Milan.

During his tenure with the Serie A club, Maldini played a key role in rebuilding the squad that ended Milan’s long wait for the league title by winning the 2021-22 Serie A crown, according to FIFA.

The FIGC will hope Maldini’s wealth of experience, football knowledge and leadership can help shape the future of Italian football as the federation aims to restore the Azzurri to the highest level of international competition. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)