Alastair Cook is the first England cricketer to receive a knighthood since Ian Botham in 2007.
Former England captain, Alastair Cook received a knighthood in the Queen’s New Year’s honours list. He is the first England cricketer knighted since Ian Botham in 2007. The former England skipper retired from international cricket after scoring his 33rd century against India earlier this year, making him the fifth-highest run scorer in the longest format of the game.
Cook was recognised for his services to the game of cricket wherein he played for more than a dozen years and left as England’s all-time leading Test run-scorer.
In a glittering career, the southpaw amassed a total of 12,472 Test runs in 161 innings and captained England from 2012 to 2017.
Cook began his career against India in March 2006, where he became the fifth Englishman to score a hundred and a half-century on debut. The Englishman captained his national team in 59 Tests and finally gave up his reigns following a 4-0 series loss in India towards the end of 2016.
In 2011, Cook was recognised as the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Test Cricketer of the Year. He also played a major part in England’s first series win in Australia during the 2010-11 Ashes tour. Opening the batting for England Cook scored 766 runs in seven innings as the Three Lions triumphed in a series down under after 24 years. He also scored his highest Test score (294) in the same year against India.
England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Colin Graves released a statement to to Press Association Sport which read: “It’s a fitting tribute to a man who has led with distinction on and off the pitch, ever since he made his England debut.”
“The statistics across that time tell the story of his special ability – as do the winners’ medals and Ashes trophies – but he is also someone who’s been a great role model for our sport. We’re very fortunate to have had Alastair in English cricket and we’re very grateful for his contributions to the game,” it added.
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Harry Kane and England manager
Gareth Southgate were handed an MBE and an OBE respectively after leading their country to the semi-finals in Russia this summer.
Expressing surprise, Kane said, “We got a letter to the house. Kate [his fiancee] opened the letter. It was before the Southampton game.”
“Normally we’d talk a little but she would never call me just before the match. I had a missed call and she texted me ‘could you answer?’ I thought something was wrong! But Kate was excited and told me that we’d had a letter from the Queen saying we’d get an MBE,” sportlinglife quoted him saying.