Former England cricket skipper Alastair Cook was among the host of sporting personalities in the New Years Honours List, who will be receiving knighthoods from Queen Elizabeth II.
Since legendary English all-rounder Ian Botham in 2007, Cook will be the first English cricketer to be knighted.
Cook has the highest number of Test centuries (33) and runs (12,472) among English cricketers and has played a record number of 161 Test matches. Cook bid farewell to cricket earlier this year. He finished his career with a century against India at The Oval. Cook ended his career as the fifth highest runs scorer in Test.
In 2011, Cook was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) and later in 2016 he was bestowed with the title of Commander of the British Empire (CBE)
Alastair Cook has given so much to English cricket and I’m delighted that he has received this honour. 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.Colin Graves, ECB chairman
"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," Graves added.
ECB CEO Tom Harrison also congratulated Cook, describing him as "the very definition of what a sporting role model should be".
Apart from Cook, England manager Gareth Southgate and captain Harry Kane were also rewarded for taking the English to this year’s FIFA World Cup semi-finals.
Kane was awarded the Golden Boot in Russia for scoring a total of six goals in the tournament.
Former England rugby captain Bill Beaumont was also named in the Queen’s New Years Honours List
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)