Heather Knight to lead London Spirit in The Hundred 2021

London Spirit have announced that England skipper Heather Knight will lead the team in the inaugural edition of The Hundred in 2021. Spirit have also retained the services of the Middlesex allrounder Naomi Dattani for their first season. Knight and Dattani will join West Indies allrounder Deandra Dottin, who was already retained by Spirit.



“It is a real honour to be retained as skipper for next year. We are beginning to build an exciting side, and hopefully, we can make a real impact on the pitch," Knight said upon her appointment as the captain of Spirit.



Knight is currently representing Sydney Thunder in the sixth edition of the Women's Big Bash League. She is in red hot form with 251 runs and eight wickets in as many matches.



ALSO READ: Want to be consistent and make those match-winning contributions: Heather Knight



Despite the postponement of the tournament due to the ongoing pandemic, Knight feels that the new format could be a promising step forward in women's cricket. “While it was obviously disappointing that the competition wasn’t able to take place this year, The Hundred promises to be a real leap forward for our sport, and I can’t wait to lead the side in 2021," she said.



Dattani, who was a part of the Western Storm squad during their successful campaign in the 2019 Women's Cricket Super League, said that she is excited about participating in the tournament.



“It’s really exciting to compete in The Hundred next year. The competition will be a big step forward for the women's game, offering the opportunity for professional women’s cricket to be presented on the same platform, and with equal billing, alongside the men’s game," she said.



"The wait will definitely be worth it, and I’m really looking forward to get going in 2021," Dattani concluded.