England captain Heather Knight acknowledged that the umpires made the correct decision to remove the players from the field during the final over of the second T20I between England Women and Australia Women in Canberra. However, she expressed her disappointment publicly. Knight faced criticism on social media for her "disgraceful" and "classless" behavior when she declined to shake hands with the umpires after they informed her and Australia captain Tahlia McGrath that the match was abandoned with five balls remaining in England's innings due to heavy rain. At that point, England required 18 runs from five balls but were six runs short of the DLS par score, resulting in Australia being declared the winners.

When the umpires, holding umbrellas, announced the conclusion of the match and confirmed Australia's victory via the DLS method, Knight was seen shaking hands with McGrath but did not reciprocate when one of the umpires offered her hand. Instead, she walked off towards the dugout to greet the Australian players and her teammates.

As a supporter of England, she expressed satisfaction when the team left the field earlier in the match when DLS had them in a favorable position. However, she acknowledged that the behavior displayed by the captain was poor sportsmanship. Additionally, it was noted that England had been thoroughly outplayed in all the matches thus far, which should have been the primary source of her frustration.

— Tim Curtis (@wistownomad) January 23, 2025

3 points to make….
1. The umpires make their decisions based on the weather, not situationof the game
2. England could get off the ground quick enough at the first rain delay when they were in front
3. Wouldn’t have made 17 off 5 balls anyway

— Rob Elliott (@robelliott_4) January 23, 2025

Couldn’t disgrace themselves any more on a single tour if they tried

— That happy cat (@K3914323997484) January 24, 2025

She’s a disgrace. Always been an embarrassment.

— LD (@LD5931895015311) January 23, 2025

Disgraceful behaviour from a Captain.
Bad sportsmanship is unsurprising from the Poms though …

— JJLB (@jenjerlebogg) January 23, 2025

Knight was optimistic about securing England's first victory in what had been a challenging Ashes tour. She had scored 43 runs off just 19 balls when heavy rain interrupted play, prompting the umpires to remove the players from the field. Clearly distressed, Knight tossed her bat onto the ground before slowly heading to the dugout.

Her actions were met with disapproval from the fans, who criticized the England batter for her unprofessional conduct. Some spectators noted that the England players had previously exited the field without issue during rain delays when they were ahead of the DLS par score earlier in the match.

Heather Knight agrees umpires were right

After she calmed down, Knight acknowledged that the umpires made the correct choice to halt the match. "The umpires' decision was appropriate," she stated. "I was fully focused on securing a victory for our team, and naturally, I felt frustrated about the interruption, but my frustration was not directed at the umpires. The conditions were quite wet, and even while running, it was noticeably slippery, making it challenging to pursue those twos. Therefore, I believe it was indeed the right decision, without a doubt.

"It was an excellent game of cricket. I felt confident in our ability to win. I was well-prepared and had several promising boundary opportunities on a very good pitch. The crowd was fantastic, and they deserved to see the match concluded; you could sense their disappointment when we had to leave the field, as the game could not reach its conclusion.

"My frustration was directed at the circumstances, not at the umpires; their decision to suspend play was justified."

Heather Knight admitted after the game that the right call was made #Ashes pic.twitter.com/H1JOecvkvk

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 23, 2025

Australia won the toss and opted to field first. The opening pair of Beth Mooney (44) and Georgia Voll (5) contributed 47 runs before Voll was run out. By the conclusion of the powerplay, Australia had scored 54 runs for the loss of one wicket. Sophie Ecclestone dismissed Mooney, leaving Australia at 66 for 2. Subsequently, Charlie Dean claimed the crucial wickets of Ellyse Perry (2) and Phoebe Litchfield (17). A partnership of 39 runs between Annabel Sutherland (18) and Tahlia McGrath (48*) enabled Australia to finish their innings at 185 for 5 in 20 overs, bolstered by a late and aggressive 71-run partnership between McGrath and Grace Harris (35*).

Due to rain, England's revised target was set at 175 runs from 19.1 overs. Danni Wyatt (52) and Sophia Dunkley (32) established a partnership of 52 runs, but England found themselves at 99 for 3 by the 13th over. A 65-run partnership between Nat Sciver-Brunt (22) and Heather Knight (43*) put England back on course; however, Schutt (2/32) and Kim Garth managed to limit England to 168 for 4, resulting in a shortfall of 6 runs.

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