Katherine Brunt: Captain Heather Knight led by example with massive Ashes ton

Katherine Brunt paid tribute to the resilience of England captain Heather Knight after her century helped wrestle back some momentum from Australia on day two of the women’s Ashes Test.

Knight spent more than five hours at the crease and hit 127 not out to help the tourists avoid the follow-on and close on 235 for eight.

Australia hold a 102-run advantage going into the penultimate day in Canberra but a second hundred from the away captain in Test cricket rescued her side from 120 for six and brought back memories of her other three-figure score in Ashes red-ball cricket back in 2013.

Stumps in Canberra

Resistance from Heather Knight and Sophie Ecclestone keeps England in the hunt in the one-off Test.

finish the day on 235/8, still trailing Australia by 102 runs.#Ashes | #AUSvENG pic.twitter.com/BQvHEUrh3H

— ICC (@ICC) January 28, 2022

On that occasion Knight batted for over seven hours in an epic knock of 157 but her long-serving team-mate felt this effort was arguably better.

“It was massive, massive beyond a shadow of a doubt and she was resilient as ever and has a lot of fighting spirit,” Brunt said, having completed a five-wicket haul earlier in the day.

“She is 100 per cent a leader and if you want to lead by example, that is how you do it.

“I think that was better (than 2013), there was a bit more in this pitch. Equally both brilliant and both tough situations but that is what she is made for.

“None of us thought she would go out there and not do it. We all believed she could do it, she does and Australia do too.

“That level of cricketer and that level of batter, that is what they are there to do. Unfortunately no one could back her up which was the sad thing about it for us but Sophie Ecclestone did a stellar