Cricket is the great international sport of the British Empire, with all of its Test playing countries being, or at one time being, British colonies.
Canada is the only one not to have embraced the greatest game of all.
If we look back in history we see that there are many cricketers who have been knighted by the Queens or Kings of England. A search of Cricinfo shows that there are 56 knighted cricketers.
The names in the list include most of the greatest cricketers of the past:
– Sir Donald Bradman (The Only Australian)
– Sir Len Hutton
– Sir Ian Botham
– Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (he did play cricket but I suspect he was knighted for some other reason)
– Sir Garfield Sobers
– Sir Vivian Richards
– Sir Richard Hadlee
The last cricketer to be knighted was either Hadlee or Botham, I’m not sure.
The point is there have been many great cricketers since these two, yet none of them have been knighted. Why?
Are today’s cricketers not good enough? Do some have questionable pasts or misdemeanours that rule them out? Does HRH Queen Elizabeth II not like the game?
A few names that I can think of who might be worthy are listed below. Some are still playing and may yet receive a knighthood after they retire.
Australia: Ricky Ponting, Glenn McGrath, Allan Border, Shane Warne
West Indies: Brian Lara, Courtney Walsh
South Africa: Jacques Kallis
India: Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble
Sri Lanka: Muttiah Muralitharan
Pakistan: Imran Khan
Can you think of any others?
Andrew
Guest
Except he's not!
Sudarshan
Guest
The latest Cricketer to get knighted is Sir Courtley Ambrose of Westindies. He was knighted by the Antiguan Govt. in the year 2014.
archis
Guest
I think Sunny Gavaskar should have to get thiis prestigious honor.
Edwina
Guest
You're right. The labor Government abolished knighthoods for Australian citizens in the 80s. The Australian equivalent is now a Commander of the Order or Australia. Not nearly as impressive!
aditya singh chouhan
Guest
I think sachin tendulkar should be knighted because he is the greatest batsman of all time
Oracle
Guest
Sir Paul Collingwood, he got an MBE for non-contribution to an Ashes winning team, so why not
Floyd Calhoun
Guest
Sir Warnie?? Why,...it's so crazy, ...it might just work!!
Josh
Guest
Yeah Sir Hornie sounds good
amazonfan
Roar Guru
What about Sir Warnie? :D
Floyd Calhoun
Guest
Probably a good thing Aussies are no longer knighted. 'Sir Shane?!' Call me old fashioned, but They're two words that were never intended to go together. Now, if he'd been named Randolph, Richard, or Humphrey, or similar.........
Jason
Guest
As others have noted above, Australia stopped allowing its citizens to be Knighted in 1986. However, the Australia equivalent of a Knighthood, the Companion of the Order of Australia (AC), has only even been awarded to one cricketer - Bradman. The title of Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), is technically slightly below a Knighthood (but senior to a CBE in Britain) and several cricketers have received one of those including Steve Waugh, Border, Taylor, Ponting and Bob Simpson - others may have been offered them of course but turned them down. On that note, I seem to recall that Bill Woodfull was offered a Knighthood but turned it down. So it seems that Australia is far less likely to hand out ACs and AOs to cricketers than England is re Knighthoods and CBEs and OBEs.
Atawhai Drive
Roar Guru
Australia abolished imperial honours in 1986, and a good thing too. New Zealand followed suit in 2000, but resumed the cultural cringe in 2009. Why anyone in this part of the world would accept an imperial honour conferred by a distant foreign monarch is anyone's guess. High achievers deserve recognition by their own country, but on their own country's terms.
amazonfan
Roar Guru
If personal conduct is to prevent Warne from being knighted, then quite a few knights (Ian Botham, Mick Jagger, Elton John for example) should be made to return their knighthoods. Warne is the only non-knight to be named by Wisden one of the five cricketers of the century. On that basis alone, I think he more than deserves it. Personally, I don't have a problem with (most of) Warne's behaviour, however I do think that, regardless of his off field behaviour, he is the most deserved knight among post-Bradman cricketers not to have been knighted.
Arthur Fonzarelli
Guest
Marshall is deceased. Not sure if knighthoods can be given posthumously.
Arthur Fonzarelli
Guest
Warne to Collingwood as he took guard in an 06/07 test - "You got an MBE for getting 7 at the Oval - what a joke" A great sledge if ever there was one.
PS75
Guest
Maybe it's in reaction to the media backlash after all the 2005 Ashes squad were awarded MBEs (including Collingwood who hardly played)
DubbleBubble
Guest
Walsh,Dravid,Kumble,Warne,Mcrath,Ponting I would say no to. The rest are worthy of consideration. Why have Walsh and not Marshall or Ambrose?
I don't mean why you think specifically think it is a big deal, just in general. In a sense I am wondering what the fuss is all about be knighted, in my opinion it is a bit elitist in a sense. So you now become. Knighted and everyone calls you Sir. What then?
Andy_Roo
Roar Guru
Biltongbek I didn't know that the rules regarding Knighthoods had changed in Australia or in any other countries for that matter. i just noticed it the other day and raised it as a discussion point. I don't necessarily think its a big deal but there are some names that would have been worthy of Knighthood (IMO) if they were still given out.
South Africans don't get knighted. But pardon my ignorance, why is being knighted such a big deal?