Former England cricket captain Alastair Cook has been included in the New Years Honours List and will receive knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II.

Cook — who has more Test centuries (33) and runs (12,472) than any other England player accrued during a record 161 Test matches — is the first cricketer to be knighted since legendary all-rounder Ian Botham in 2007.

The 34-year-old opening batsman finished his Test career in the best possible manner with a century against India at The Oval despite having declared there "was nothing left in the tank".

"It's a fitting tribute to a man who has led with distinction on and off the pitch every since he made his England debut," England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chairman Colin Graves said in a statement to Press Association Sport. "The statistics across that time tell the story of his special ability — as do the winners' medals and Ashes trophies — but he is also someone who's been a great role model for our sport. We're very fortunate to have had Alastair in English cricket and we're very grateful for his contributions to the game."

Tom Harrison, ECB chief executive officer, said: "Since he was flown out to Nagpur as a last-minute replacement he's poured every ounce of his commitment into English cricket. His final century was incredibly special and will live with everyone who witnessed it for a long time."

Cook is now part of an elite club of former England cricketers to have received knighthood. He joins Sir Ian Botham — last one to be honoured 11 years ago — Jack Hobbs, Len Hutton and Colin Cowdrey on this elusive list of players.

(The story includes input from AFP)