Edwards knighted, Anderson honoured with OBE

Queen Elizabeth II has conferred a knighthood on former Wales scrumhalf Gareth Edwards and honoured English cricket's leading test wicket-taker James Anderson with an Order of the British Empire (OBE) in her official birthday honours list, which

was announced on Friday, reports Sport24.

Edwards, 67, won 53 caps for Wales from 1967-1978, 13 as captain, and played 10 times for the British and Irish Lions on their victorious tours of New Zealand in 1971 and South Africa in 1974.

A Rugby World magazine poll in 2003 named him as the greatest player of all time.

"Gareth Edwards fully deserves the honour of a knighthood for the incredible contribution to rugby he has made both on and off the field," Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) president Dennis Gethin said in a WRU statement.

"His reputation as a player is possibly unparalleled and since retiring from the game he has continued to be a powerful ambassador for rugby both in Wales and around the world."

Anderson, 32, became England's leading test wicket taker this year, surpassing Ian Botham's record of 383 victims.

He claimed his 400th wicket in the recent series against New Zealand and is still England's leading fast bowler ahead of this summer's Ashes series against Australia.

"This means an enormous amount to me and my family. I'm very proud of my recent achievements and this just caps it off. These achievements wouldn't have been possible without the help and support of my family, friends and everyone at Burnley Cricket Club, Lancashire County Cricket Club and England," Anderson said in an England and Wales Cricket Board statement.