England captain shockingly doesn’t shake umpires hands after Australia’s win in ENG vs AUS 2025 2nd T20I [Watch]

England women's team captain Heather Knight chose not to shake hands with the match officials after a contentious end to the second T20I against Australia in Canberra. The visitors lost out on the Ashes after suffering a narrow six-run defeat (via DLS) in a rain-marred encounter.

England were handed a mammoth 186-run target to remain alive in the multi-format Ashes affair. Heather Knight kept her side alive with a promising cameo after coming in at 99-3 in the 13th over. At one stage of the run chase, England were a couple of runs ahead of the DLS par score when rain first interfered.

The players had walked off the field, and returned shortly after, with no reduction in the number of overs. The onus was on the England skipper after Nat Sciver-Brunt was dismissed to conclude the penultimate over.

With 22 runs needed off the final over, Heather Knight scored a four off Annabel Sutherland's first ball. However, rain returned to disrupt proceedings again, leading to the umpires calling for the players to come off the field. The England skipper was left exasperated by the decision, and flailed her arms around in frustration after throwing her bat to the ground.

The rain did not relent, and Australia were adjudged winners of the contest as England were behind the DLS par score. The umpires informed the captains - Heather Knight and Tahlia McGrath - of the decision to call off the game, a routine protocol in cricket that usually leads to handshake among all parties to mark the game's end.

While the Australian skipper shook hands with the officials before making her way off, Heather Knight ignored the extended arm of an umpire and turned away. Have a look at the incident right here:

Australia secured an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. They also completed a 3-0 whitewash in the recently conducted ODI series.

"It was unfortunate that it didn't quite yield the desired result" - England captain Heather Knight

Heather Knight remained unbeaten on 43 runs off 19 deliveries at a strike rate of 226.32. Scoring 18 runs off five balls would have been a tall ask, but the England skipper had plenty of momentum with her.

"It was a fantastic game of cricket. Although we managed to build a crucial partnership towards the end, it was unfortunate that it didn't quite yield the desired result. Chasing 180 was always going to be a tough ask, but I'm proud of the way the team fought till the very end," Heather Knight said during the post-match presentation

England are under severe pressure after losing five consecutive matches in the Ashes, which comes on the back of a group-stage exit at the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).