Inspired by his father, he made his Kent debut in
1964 at the age of 19. He joined a long list of Kent created as a
wicket-keeper-batsman, and was probably the best keeper/batsman to play for England.
He gained his first Test cap at the age of 21, having been named Cricket Writers' Club Young Cricketer of the Year in
1965. When he made his debut, it was against the
Pakistani tourists in
1967. Batting at number 8, he made a duck in his first Test, at
Trent Bridge, but didn't concede a single
bye in the match. He made 28 in the second match, but didn't make the starting eleven for the
1967-68 tour of the
West Indies, as
Jim Parks was initially preferred. However, for the fourth and fifth matches of the series, he was picked again. In the first of those, he made his first Test half-century, a score of 69 not out, and he once again excelled at wicket-keeping.
In the winter of
1967, again against Pakistan, he confirmed his position as England's premier wicketkeeper-batsman. He made two 50s in the series, including a score of 96 not out at
Karachi when the match was prematurely ended by a pitch invasion by Pakistani fans, denying him a well-deserved hundred.
In 1970, he was
Wisden's Cricketer of the Year. County captain
Colin Cowdrey said:
"I think he is the most gifted and dedicated cricketer one could ever wish to play with, never satisfied with his performance and always seeking for a little more perfection."
In 1970 he finally did make his maiden Test century, 110 at
Auckland against
New Zealand. He had missed the first match of that
1970-71 series,
Bob Taylor taking the gloves solely as a reward for patience. Knott did not miss a Test until
1977, making a sum of five centuries and twenty-eight 50s in that time.
He has the distinction of once scoring 7 runs from a single delivery in Test cricket, off
Vanburn Holder in the Fourth England v West Indies Test at
Headingley in 1976. Knott took a quick single to extra-cover where
Bernard Julien fielded and overthrew the wicket-keeper. Knott and
Tony Greig ran two overthrows before
Andy Roberts, fielding at square-leg, retrieved the ball and threw it past the stumps at the bowler's end and over the long-off boundary for four more runs.
Knott helped England win the Ashes in England in 1977 but had been persuaded by England colleague
Tony Greig to join
Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket. This effectively put his England career on hold as the 'Packer players' were banned from test cricket. When he returned to Tests after the end of World Series Cricket in
1980, he had very little success against a mighty West Indian side, averaging 5.14 in the series. He did not play in the tour of the West Indies that immediately followed, but was picked for the final two Tests of the famous
1981 Ashes series. Fittingly for one of England's greatest players, he ended his last Test against Australia at
The Oval, with a score of 70 not out and an England series win.
He was replaced as England wicket keeper by
Bob Taylor on two occasions - when he went to World Series Cricket, and when he retired. Knott retired from all cricket in 1985, at the age of 39. He then mentored his son James Knott and
Jack Russell.
He now lives in
Cyprus.
