The Hindu : Sport : Queen honours Ashes heroes

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 11, 2006

Sport

Sport - Sports : General

Queen honours Ashes heroes

London: England cricket captain Michael Vaughan was named Officer of the Order of the British Empire, while Andrew Flintoff and the rest of the team received MBEs from Queen Elizabeth II here on Thursday. The Queen presented the honour at a simple ceremony.

England won the Ashes for the first time since 1987, defeating Australia 2-1 in a thrilling series that captivated the nation last year. ``It was a great team effort and I'm really pleased all the players have been honoured,'' Vaughan said when the awards were announced at the New Year.

Tough tour

The England captain believes that the upcoming tour of India could be even tougher than the Ashes series in Australia at the end of the year.

England set off on Sunday for a tour of India that will involve three Tests and seven one-dayers against opponents who have lost only one home Test series in the last 10 years.

It is a daunting challenge for an England side still reeling from its defeat in Pakistan before Christmas, and who will also travel without leading spinner Ashley Giles following his failure to recover from a hip injury— PTI

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