Knight was going strong on 43 not out from 19 balls, having hit Annabel Sutherland’s first ball in the final for four, when umpires Ben Treloar and Eloise Sheridan decided that the rain in Canberra, which had already caused a half of 20 minute entry. delay – it was too heavy to ignore. She was visibly furious as she left the field, but later admitted her reaction was pure “frustration” at being denied the opportunity to “do something special.”
“It was the correct decision by the referees,” Knight said. “I was really in the zone to try to win that game for us, and obviously I was frustrated that we were going to go away, but it wasn’t for the referees at all. It was quite wet, even when we were running it felt quite slippery and it was quite difficult to attack those two, so yeah, it was the right decision, 100%.”
The match was abandoned minutes later to confirm England’s six-run defeat in Duckworth-Lewis-Stern, and give the Australians an unassailable 10-0 lead in the Ashes points table, with the third T20I in Adelaide on Saturday , followed by next week’s One-Off Test at the MCG.
“It was a brilliant game of cricket,” said Knight, after England finished with 168 for 4 in reply to Australia’s 185 for 5. “I felt like I could get over the line. I felt really prepared and had some really good moments.” “Good boundary options on a very good cricket ground. There was an incredible crowd and they deserved a finish, and you could hear the fans’ frustration that we were going away and the game couldn’t reach its conclusion.”
“As a batting group we were disappointed that we didn’t show our best cricket, and I think tonight was certainly our best,” Knight said. “We knew it was going to be difficult and a lot of things had to go our way, but I am very proud of the way we fought in the chase. We showed a brilliant level of skill, a brilliant intention, a brilliant fighting spirit, we led by Danni in particular, to try to get over the line.”
The “mongrel” comment itself emerged from a pre-match pep talk by England assistant coach Courtney Winfield-Hill, and at first glance, seemed to mark a departure from the team’s familiar mantra of “inspire and entertain”, a notion that has rung increasingly hollow with each new loss on this tour. Knight, however, insisted that the team’s recognition of their status as role models remained integral to their ethos, although he acknowledged that professional cricket is ultimately a results business.
“It’s still a really important mantra for this team,” he said. “We are always at our best when we try to approach the game and enjoy it, but obviously, cricket is more than that, and we know it’s not as simple as just saying we want to entertain. We also want to win at the end of the day.
“We haven’t done that on this trip, and there are a lot of players frustrated and hurt that we haven’t done that. We all care a lot about playing for England and representing a team that is really special.”
Despite the improved performance and her own contribution with the bat, Knight acknowledged that confirmation of England’s Ashes defeat would increase scrutiny on her position as captain after nine years at the helm.
“I guess in any leadership role, you always feel the responsibility when teams aren’t performing well and we haven’t done as well as we want across the board,” he said. “It’s certainly frustrating, but that’s not really a question for now. I’m just focused on what we have to do to try to win the next game and try to turn things around. Whatever happens at the end of the tour, that will be a conversation for later.”
Andrew Miller is UK editor for ESPNcricinfo. @miller_cricket