Heather Knight is hopeful that this summer's T20 World Cup on home soil will leave a lasting legacy for women's cricket in the UK, admitting the triumph in 2017 was not fully exploited.
The England captain, who led her side to victory at Lord's eight years ago, is now preparing for the upcoming tournament, which kicks off in 50 days as England face Sri Lanka at Edgbaston.
"I think there probably wasn't the structure in place to really maximise it in 2017," Knight told BBC Sport. "Obviously domestic cricket in this country wasn't professional. We're in a completely different place now. There is that real scaffolding and it's a lot more normal to be a woman in sport, which is really exciting and hopefully we can capitalise on it a little bit more."
Since 2017, the domestic game has been transformed with the introduction of a professional structure and The Hundred. However, England have not won an ICC trophy since, losing to Australia in the finals of both the 2018 T20 and 2022 50-over World Cups, and falling to South Africa in the semi-finals of the 2023 and 2025 tournaments. In 2024, they failed to advance past the T20 World Cup group stage after a defeat to West Indies.
Knight believes the recent revamp of the county structure will pay off. "I think we've seen that in this country over the last few years how investment and having the right structures, The Hundred, the domestic set-up is in a really good spot now. So if you get that right, the rest will follow," she said.
She added that 2017 "did change perceptions of what women's cricket could be if it was done properly, if it was funded properly."
Gemma Barton, the ECB's Head of Strategic Growth, emphasised the importance of capitalizing on the momentum of hosting the tournament. "We aren't waiting until the tournament to find out if England win to see whether we can create legacy. From that point onwards, we have then started to see those foundations grow and that base build," she said. "Last year, 24,000 women's fixtures were held across England and Wales. So that growth has taken its time, but now we're reaping the rewards of those great foundations."
On a personal note, Knight, who has played in 10 World Cups, is not speculating on whether this will be her last ICC event. "I put a lot of pressure on myself to try and perform because I thought 'this might be my last one, I really want to do well', and it wasn't particularly helpful," she said. "I want to live in the moment and to try and contribute as much as I can. And who knows? If I'm playing well, if I'm enjoying it and if I'm still wanted, there could be things in the future."