If Sir Ian Botham, Richard Hadlee and now, Alastair Cook can be knighted, why the same honour can't be conferred to the legendary cricketers from other Commonwealth nations like Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar, asked Atta-Ur-Rehman Chishti, a Pakistan originated MP based in the United Kingdom on Monday (March 11). 

British conservative politician Chishti made this valid demand in the House of Commons while present in a debate on the Commonwealth Day. The showpiece event held in Westminster Abbey was attended by Queen Elizabeth as well. 

The famous MP from Gillingham and Rainham in Kent raised this issue when foreign office minister Harriett Baldwin mentioned that cricket is among the most important values shared by the whole Commonwealth. 

"She(Baldwin) mentioned cricket—many things bring happiness to us in the Commonwealth, and one of them is cricket—and perhaps she can clarify an anomaly," Chisti was quoted saying by Hindustan Times. 

"In Australia, Sir Don Bradman was knighted, and in New Zealand, Sir Richard Hadlee was knighted, but there has been no knighthood for cricketers from Pakistan, India, South Africa or Sri Lanka, which have produced some brilliant cricketers."

"From Sri Lanka we had Muralitharan; from Pakistan, we had Wasim Akram and Imran Khan; from South Africa, we had Jacques Kallis; and from India, we had Sachin Tendulkar and Kapil Dev. This is the year when we host the cricket World Cup. Can the Minister ensure that we rectify that anomaly so that all our counterparts in the Commonwealth are treated fairly and equally?"

The emotional message did go down well with Baldwin, as she said, "Madam Deputy Speaker, have you ever heard such a compelling application to Her Majesty to recognise more cricketers from around the Commonwealth? I am sure that it will have been heard by the relevant people."

"My hon. Friend is right; I mentioned Bangladeshi women’s cricket. I am also thrilled that in Rwanda, which is one of the newer members of the Commonwealth, cricket is fast growing into a very popular, if not leading, national sport. He is right to make the link between the Commonwealth and cricket."

11 West Indies cricketers have been knighted so far, including Viv Richards, Frank Worrell and Andy Roberts, besides players from England, Australia and New Zealand. But no other nations' cricketers figure in the elite list.