Heather Knight's England team became the second team to qualify for the World Cup next year. © Getty
Heather Knight, captain of England Women's One-Day International team, was understandably delighted after her team secured qualification to the International Cricket Council (ICC) Women's World Cup 2017 following a 122-run win over Sri Lanka Women in Colombo on Saturday (November 12). The three-time World Champions became the second side to qualify for the quadrennial event, behind Australia, after the victory took the World Cup hosts to 25 points from 19 matches.
"It's a brilliant feeling to have secured automatic qualification for the ICC Women's World Cup in England next summer. We have the best fans in the world, so to get the opportunity to play in a World Cup on home soil is really exciting, and something that we are all already looking forward to," Knight said after her team's win in the second of the four-match ODI series.
"Playing in that first round of the ICC Women's Championship against India back in 2014 now feels like a very long time ago. We have grown and developed so much as a squad since then, especially in the last 10 months or so, and we are learning all the time. How we played against Pakistan this summer, followed-up by the hard fought victory in the Caribbean, is testament to the work that the players are putting in right now."
Knight, however, was quick to stress the importance of living in the moment and ensure that England finish the year on a high in order to carry good vibes into next year's marquee event.
"We are still a young team, and there will continue to be the odd bump as we move forwards, but this is a really exciting time for us as a group. Our main focus now is to stay in the moment and make sure that we finish the year on a high out here in Colombo," she said.
"There's still a lot of hard work to come over the next eight months, and a lot of cricket to be played, but I think every cricketer grows up dreaming of playing in a World Cup final at Lord's, and by winning today, that dream has come one step closer for us."
Australia, who have 30 points from 18 matches, have already clinched the ICC Women's Championship, with two more direct qualification slots for next year's shopwiece event to be decided by November 23. West Indies need to win one of their two remaining games against India to seal their qualification while New Zealand require two wins from three home games against lower-ranked Pakistan. South Africa Women who'll travel to Australia to face Meg Lanning's champion side have an outside chance to make the cut but will need other results to go their way.
The top four sides from the Women's Championship gain direct qualification for the World Cup while the bottom four sides will go through a 10-team qualifier tournament, scheduled to be played in Colombo between February 7-21, 2017.
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