Alastair Cook gets top British honor from Prince Charles

England Test skipper Alastair Cook is in the news these days for the wrong reasons. On most occasions in the recent times, his name comes to the fore tagged with the rumor of him stepping down from the captaincy post. England had a forgettable tour to India in December last year. They lost the Test series 0-4 under the captaincy of Alastair Cook. However, one bad tour cannot take anything away from the masterclass of Cook. Ever since making his Test debut in India in 2006, Cook has produced some brilliant knocks.

He struck his maiden Test century in the very second innings that he played. Last year, he became the youngest batsman to reach the 10000 run mark in Test cricket. He remains to be the leading run-scorer for England in the longest format of the game. Recently, Alastair Cook was given one of the top 5 British honors. He received the Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) from Prince Charles at the Buckingham Palace in London.

After receiving the prestigious honor from the Prince of Wales, the English Test skipper quoted, “This is a very special moment not just for me obviously but my family and friends – it’s a very proud moment to be awarded this, very special.”

He further added that he had a few words with the Prince of Wales. He disclosed that they both spoke briefly on cricket and about farming. He mentioned that he is planning to start lambing but is unable to give enough time for it due to training sessions. Alastair Cook owns a farm near Leighton Buzzard.

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“We spoke a little bit about the cricket, a little bit about the farming, and he wished me good luck. We’re about to start lambing so we’ll get busy now but unfortunately work and training has to come first, but if I have any spare moments I try and help out,” quoted Cook.

The series of British honors under Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is rewarded for key contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organizations, and public service outside the Civil Service.

The five classes of the order in order of precedence are Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (GBE), Knight/Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE or DBE), Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE), Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE), and Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE).