Geoffrey Boycott and Andrew Strauss to receive knighthoods in Theresa May's leaving honours

May, a genuine cricket fan, spent her first day as a backbencher at Lord’s watching England take on Ireland, while in her final days at Downing Street she hosted a reception to congratulate England’s World Cup-winning squad

Andrew Strauss and Geoffrey Boycott are to receive knighthoods in Theresa May’s resignation honours list.

Boycott, who played 108 Test matches for England between 1964 and 1982, was regularly referenced by May during her time as Prime Minister in her speeches.

During a news conference in November 2018, May made a vow to see her Brexit strategy through to the end, even comparing herself to Boycott.

“Can I just say that you might recall from previous comments I have made about cricket that one of my cricket heroes was always Geoffrey Boycott,” she stated.

“And what did you know about Geoffrey Boycott? Geoffrey Boycott stuck to it and he got the runs in the end.”

May, a genuine cricket fan, spent her first day as a backbencher at Lord’s watching England take on Ireland, while in her final days at Downing Street she hosted a reception to congratulate England’s World Cup-winning squad.

Boycott has long since been mentioned in dispatches when honours lists have been mentioned. However, as he tweeted in 2015, he believed he had been overlooked in the past after being convicted in a French court of hitting his then-girlfriend.

He posted on Twitter in 2015: “I’m delighted that so many people thought I deserved a knighthood and sad that it can be blocked for something I didn’t do.”

^{Theresa May spent her first day as a backbencher at Lord's}

Guidelines in Whitehall suggest that a criminal record should not necessarily rule anyone out of the running for honours. During her time as Home Secretary, May was among a group of cross-party MPs who wrote to the Cabinet Office in favour of him receiving the honour.

In 2015, the Daily Telegraph ran an investigation into Boycott’s conviction, declaring that new evidence suggested his innocence.

Andrew Strauss, meanwhile, opened the batting for England alongside Sir Alastair Cook for six years. Together, the pair mustered 4,711 runs, with a best partnership of 229. Cook was knighted in the New Year Honours List following his retirement from Test cricket in September 2018.

As well as his runs, Strauss led England to the No.1 position in the world while captain, including a series victory in Australia and a home drubbing over India. In his retirement, he oversaw England’s revolution as a white-ball unit, which ultimately resulted in a maiden World Cup triumph.

Strauss, however, stepped down from his role as England’s director of cricket in October 2018 after three and a half years in the post. In the months prior to his resignation, he had been on compassionate leave after his wife, Ruth, was diagnosed with cancer during December 2017.

She subsequently passed away in December 2018. Strauss has since set up a charity in her name; the Ruth Strauss Foundation provides emotional, psychological and wellbeing support to patients and their families, as well as funding research into rare lung cancers.

The second day of the Ashes Test at Lord’s was dedicated to Ruth Strauss, with the Red for Ruth initiative launched, with all those present at the ground encouraged to wear red and to donate to the charity.