Birthday Honours

[G.I.Joe]

Looked it up, and its interesting - Hadlee was the last to be knighted by the Queen in 1990, and was the only cricketer to be put forward in the honours list before he had stopped playing. So that kind of dispels my theory.

Richards wasn't actually knighted until 1999, but by the Antiguan government.

That's interesting, thanks for that. I didn't know Richards' knighthood was conferred on him by the Antiguan govt.

I tried looking at the list of Bharat Ratna awardees (which I assume would be our equivalent of the knighthood), and there hasn't been a single sportsman so far. It almost seems like you have to be a musician or win a Nobel prize to be bestowed it

 

[PhoenixFire]

Hence knighthoods for Sir Gary Sobers or Sir Conrad Hunte and the like but not for McGrath, Waugh or Warne.

Also I don't think that criminals can be given a knighthood.

 

[Howe_zat]

Also I don't think that criminals can be given a knighthood.

Evidently untrue.

 

[zaremba]

Evidently untrue.

Sorry for the pedantry but Mark Thatcher doesn't have a knighthood, he's a Baronet.

 

[morgieb]

So how did Bradman get one then?

Different rules back then iirc.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

So how did Bradman get one then?

lol

 

[andyc]

Yeah, the laws governing the stuff have obviously changed since Bradman's day. Up to the Australian government if they want to confer any awards on people now.

FWIW though, if any living cricketer is worthy of a knighthood for 'services to the game,' then surely, surely it'd have to be Richie Benaud.

 

[Spikey]

the australian government switched to their own orders/awards/medals/title/whatever the **** it's called system in the late 70's. pig iron bob/Robert Menzies would have been one of the last to get knighted,