Heather wins 2026 PCA Outstanding Contribution Award
Former England captain Heather Knight has been named the 2026 PCA Outstanding Contribution Award winner at the PCA Awards in partnership with Toyota.
Knight’s influence on the game of cricket both on and off the field over her esteemed career has been incredible with her selfless acts helping to shape the future of women’s cricket.
Away from the pitch Knight played a leading role in boardrooms and offices in helping to advance the women’s game in England and Wales.
As one of the first players to receive an England Women’s Central Contract in 2014, Knight played a pivotal role in the creation of the England Women’s Player Partnership (EWPP) in 2017 which represents the interests of England women’s cricketers.
Holding the position of PCA Vice Chair between 2020-2025, the 35-year-old influenced domestic, national and international decision making having also sat on the WCA Player Advisory Group for the global game.
The ECB recently introduced the Knight-Stokes Cup, giving state school children the chance to play at Lord’s, named after the two former England captains.
On the pitch, Knight played 320 games for her country, becoming the all-time appearance maker for England women having played 15 Tests, 160 ODIs and 145 T20 Internationals.
Amassing an incredible 8,017 international runs, Knight announced her international retirement following the conclusion of the historic first England women’s Test at Lord’s against India.
A leader for England, Knight captained her country 199 times, winning 134 of them and famously lifted the World Cup trophy at Lord’s in 2017 with a nine-run win over India. The year after, she was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to cricket and was named one of the Five Wisden Cricketers of the Year.
The PCA Awards in partnership with Toyota provided the platform to celebrate Knight’s achievements. Knight filmed an acceptance speech that was played alongside a video, featuring teammates and important figures from the game of cricket.
The PCA Outstanding Contribution Award is awarded to past or present PCA members who have made a significant contribution towards the game and have uplifted the cricketing world and society with their impact.
Knight becomes the fifth recipient of this prestigious accolade at the annual awards dinner with previous winners including Graham Gooch (2025), Matthew Maynard (2024), Tom Smith (2023) and Andy Brassington (2022).
After winning the PCA Outstanding Contribution Award, Heather Knight, said: “I’m so thankful for the award, I want to say a big thank you for the recognition, I’ve been very lucky to do what I’ve done for so long. Thank you to the people at the PCA, it’s been a pleasure to work alongside you during my time as England captain. To Emma Reid, Rob Lynch and Daryl Mitchell you were so instrumental in helping push the women’s game forward and helping drive standards and I’m really proud of the progress that we made.”
PCA Director of Player Right and Women’s Cricket, Emma Reid, said: “Heather is so passionate about women’s cricket, once she became captain she was dedicated to improving the game as a whole. She has been pivotal to growing women’s cricket around the world and is well deserving of the PCA Outstanding Contribution Award.”
