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England's World Cup heroes honoured by Queen

England's World Cup heroes honoured by Queen
© Reuters
One-day captain Eoin Morgan heads the list with a CBE.

The men behind England’s historic victory at the World Cup have been recognised in the New Year Honours list, with Ben Stokes, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Jos Buttler and Trevor Bayliss all awarded titles for services to cricket.

One-day captain Morgan, whose measured leadership of the side was a key part of their journey from also-rans to world champions, heads the list with a CBE.

Stokes is awarded an OBE after a golden summer which saw him drag his side to victory in the final at Lord’s through sheer force of will, then follow up with one of the greatest Test innings of all time six weeks later during the famous Ashes win at Headingley.

Bayliss, the Australian head coach who helped Morgan revolutionise England’s white-ball cricket over his four years in the job before leaving at the end of his contract in September, takes an OBE with him Down Under.

Buttler becomes an MBE, having been the man to guarantee England would lift the trophy for the first time when he gathered Jason Roy’s throw and completed the match-winning run-out under extreme pressure in the World Cup final, while Root gets the same accolade.

Morgan said: “I’m very proud to have been awarded a CBE. Winning the World Cup has been a dream come true and the honours and awards that have come since that day at Lord’s really mean a lot to everyone connected with the team.

“The events of that day at Lord’s were the result of many years of hard work and dedication, and I see this honour – and the honours for my team-mates – as honours for the whole team, for everything they put into winning that tournament and getting over the line.”

Before the third day of the Boxing Day Test against South Africa in Centurion, Stokes told Sky: “It’s a special achievement I guess. Awards like these aren’t what you play the game for but I guess they come along when you do well and particularly when you do well as a team.

“As everybody has said, it’s a team effort to get these awards and we’ll be going to collect them on behalf of the team.”

Root, who described the honour as “extremely humbling”, was England’s top run-scorer at the World Cup but has also been one of the sport’s most prominent ambassadors in his role at Test skipper.

Paying tribute to his team-mates, Root added: “They are fantastic ambassadors – they have done some extremely special things for English cricket and I am very honoured to have played alongside them.

England’s Jos Buttler, Eoin Morgan, Joe Root and Jason Roy pose with the World Cup trophy
England’s Jos Buttler, Eoin Morgan, Joe Root and Jason Roy pose with the World Cup trophy (Steven Paston/PA)

“I am proud and privileged and it’s an honour to play cricket for England.”

Pace bowler Jofra Archer is notable by his absence and may have been a worthy addition after claiming the most wickets for England in the tournament and, crucially, bowling the decisive ‘Super Over’ which secured victory. He only made his international debut in May, though, and his time could come again.

Back in 2005, England’s unforgettable Ashes success over a dominant Australia side saw every player earn a gong – including Paul Collingwood, who only took part in the final Test – not to mention some members of the backroom staff.

England’s Anya Shrubsole celebrates the wicket of India’s Rajeshwari Gayakwad during the ICC Women’s World Cup final in 2017
England’s Anya Shrubsole celebrates the wicket of India’s Rajeshwari Gayakwad during the ICC Women’s World Cup final in 2017 (John Walton/PA)

That ultimately came to be seen as excessive and this year’s beneficiaries are in line with those from the England Women’s side who won the World Cup at Lord’s in 2017.

Back then there were five recipients: captain Heather Knight, coach Mark Robinson, player of the tournament Tammy Beaumont, player of the final Anya Shrubsole and director of women’s cricket Clare Connor.

A knighthood has been awarded to Manchester-based former West Indies cricket captain Clive Lloyd, who skippered the side that came to dominate the sport in the 1970s and 1980s. Gordon Greenidge, an opening batsman in that same all-conquering West Indies side, has also been knighted on the recommendation of the government of his native Barbados.

Colin Graves, the chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board since 2015 and a former executive chairman of Yorkshire, has been handed a CBE.

Alan Knott, regarded as one of the game’s greatest-ever wicketkeepers, can now add an MBE to his record of 95 Test caps and 1,211 first-class dismissals.

Alan Knott
Alan Knott has been awarded an MBE (PA Archive)

ECB chief executive officer Tom Harrison said: “We’re delighted that so many of the players involved in our historic ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup win have been named in the New Year Honours list.

“Everyone who works in the game is incredibly proud of Eoin, Ben, Joe and Jos.

“We’re proud of their achievements, on and off the pitch, and indeed of their efforts to help grow the game and inspire a whole new generation of fans.

“The events of that day will live long in the memories of everyone who saw it, and honours like this demonstrate the reach and impact that cricket can have.”

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