England's 2019 World Cup-winning stars Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler have been awarded royal honors at the Buckingham Palace in London for their services to the game of cricket at an investiture ceremony on Tuesday (February 25).
Apart from the duo, England’s white-ball captain Eoin Morgan, Coach Trevor Bayliss, and Test captain Joe Root have also received the honors as part of the New Year's Honours List for England's maiden ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 triumph at home last summer.
England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Colin Graves was also honored with the award of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) with all received their respective awards from the Duke of Cambridge, Prince William at the Buckingham Palace.
The star English all-rounder Stokes was honored with an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to cricket and Buttler was made a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) following a remarkable year for England.
On the other hand, Morgan is set to be appointed the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE), Root will be made a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE), and Bayliss will be made an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE).
Meanwhile, the CBE is the highest-ranking Order of the British Empire award, standing for Commander of the Order of the British Empire, followed by OBE and MBE.
Graves said of the honors: “Without a shadow of a doubt, it's two great players and to share the day with them is brilliant. You just have to look at the Sports Personality of the Year awards, Stokesy won the main award, the team won the team award, and the team won the moments of the year award.”
Noteworthy, Stokes played an unbeaten knock of 84 in the World Cup 2019 final to help the hosts to tie the game and then batted in the Super Over to steer England to a memorable title triumph over New Zealand at the iconic Lord’s ground.
The left-hander also played a remarkable unbeaten knock of 135 to guide England to victory in the third Ashes Test at Headingley.
On the other hand, Buttler also played its part in the decisive moment of the World Cup when he collected Jason Roy's throw and completed the run-out of Martin Guptill to help England to win the title on boundaries counts against the Black Caps.
(With PA/ANI Inputs)
