ENGLAND captain Heather Knight will be playing for Somerset County Cricket Club in 2025.

The World Cup winning skipper hails from Devon and played up through the county pathway before making her debut in 2005, and going onto represent Berkshire between 2010 and 2019.

Her England debut came in an ODI against India in Mumbai in March 2010, and she made an immediate impact by opening the batting and top scoring with 49 in England’s two-wicket victory.She has since gone on to feature in 143 ODIs, 124 IT20s and 12 Test matches, scoring more than 6800 runs and claiming 84 wickets with her right-arm off spin.

She was named England captain in 2016 and led her country to World Cup glory the following year.In 2018 she was named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year and was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours list.

Heather was the first woman to score an international century in all three formats of the game and was the first female player to score a 50 and take five wickets in an ODI.

She captained Western Storm to two Kia Super League titles and continued to feature for the team in the Charlotte Edwards Cup and Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. She has represented Hobart Hurricanes and Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash, Royal Challengers Bangalore in the WPL and London Spirit in The Hundred.

After agreeing to represent Somerset, sheher said: “Somerset is a club that holds a special place in my heart, so I’m incredibly excited about this opportunity. The South West has played an integral role in my journey and it’s a privilege to be able to represent the region that means so much to me.

“We have a genuine opportunity to create something special. This is the first Somerset women’s team of the professional era, and we have a duty to those who have gone before and laid the foundations to make sure that we are a team that competes on the field and inspires young people across the region. There is a special heritage surrounding the club and that is something that we will be taking very seriously.

“The Cooper Associates County Ground is a special place to play, and I can’t wait for some of the younger players to experience the atmosphere that the members and supporters can generate.”