Former great slams England

Former England captain Geoffrey Boycott has expressed his outrage at the winning Ashes team of 2005 being given the Member of the British Empire (MBE), saying they did not deserve them and that awarding it to the players devalued its honour.

“People like me played 100 Test matches to get one, and get 8,000 runs. I didn’t play five Test matches and get one,” he said.

“I feel so bad about mine I’m going to tie it round my cat. It doesn’t mean anything anymore. It’s a joke.

“For 18 years England haven’t won. Australia have been beating England every two years home or away.

“Suddenly, when England win, all hell breaks loose. They all get gongs at the palace.

The criticism arose from a widely reported Shane Warne sledge to Paul Collingwood, who got the MBE after appearing in just the final Ashes Test of 2005.

“And to think you got an MBE for getting seven,” Warne joked.

Boycott, like many other experts and commentators have been critical of England’s failures throughout the Ashes.

“Apart from Alastair Cook, I don’t think anyone has the stomach to play a rearguard innings. It was just poor all round. That’s what’s so disappointing for the fans. It’s like they’ve given up. You can’t see them winning in Sydney. They are too inconsistent to win. They are patchy. They have one good session out of three and that’s not enough to win Test matches,” he said after the England’s Boxing Day loss.