Clive Lloyd, Gordon Greenidge receive knighthoods
Ben Stokes and several of his England Cricket World Cup-winning team-mates were recognised in Britain's New Year Honours list announced on Friday, as two West Indies greats, Clive Lloyd and Gordon Greenidge, received knighthoods, reports The Jamaica Observer.
Lloyd, the forerunner of today's modern power batsmen and brilliant fielders, hit a superb century as the West Indies beat Australia in the inaugural 1975 World Cup final at Lord's.
As captain, the Guyanese also played a key role in transforming the West Indies into the dominant side in Test cricket during the 1970s and 1980s.
Meanwhile, all-rounder Stokes was made an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) after scoring an unbeaten 84 as England's men won the World Cup for the first time by edging out New Zealand in a dramatic final at Lord's in July before his brilliant 135 not out secured a stunning one-wicket victory in the third Ashes Test against Australia at Headingley six weeks later.
For Stokes, playing in the ongoing first Test against South Africa at Centurion having recently been voted the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year, it was all a far cry from the career-threatening situation he faced before he was acquitted on a charge of affray in August 2018 after an early hours incident outside a Bristol nightclub the previous September.
Eoin Morgan, who captained England to World Cup glory, was named a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire), one rank below a knighthood.
Wicketkeeper Jos Buttler and England's top run-scorer in the tournament and Test skipper Joe Root were both awarded MBEs (Members of the Order of the British Empire), the level beneath an OBE.
Australian Trevor Bayliss, England's World Cup-winning coach, received an OBE while Colin Graves, the England and Wales Cricket Board chairman, was made a CBE.
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."
