Adil Rashid and Lydia Greenway’s cricketing careers and community endeavours have been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours list.
Rashid, 35, has been made an MBE for services to cricket, as has fellow England player Sam Curran.
Greenway, who won 225 caps across three formats for England before retiring in 2016 and setting up the Cricket For Girls academy, becomes an OBE.
Like Greenway, leg-spinner Rashid has sought to give back to his sport via the Adil Rashid Cricket Centre in his home city of Bradford.
Rashid, who has 220 limited-overs caps for England and was part of the 2019 World Cup and 2022 T20 World Cup-winning teams, told the PA news agency: “I am so grateful for the things I have and I know some people don’t have as much as me, so I try to give what I can.
“I’ve set up the Adil Rashid Cricket Centre in Bradford, that’s open now and I want to see Asian cricketers coming through there, but it’s a place where people can be day to day as well. It’s for cricket and for the community.”
Rashid hopes to inspire other players from an Asian background to follow in his footsteps, during a turbulent period for the sport in England.
A Cricket Discipline Commission panel found six former Yorkshire players had used racist or discriminatory language towards Rashid’s former Yorkshire team-mate Azeem Rafiq, with Rashid acting as a witness at the hearing.
Yorkshire have admitted four charges over their handling of Rafiq’s allegations, with a sanctions hearing scheduled for June 27.
“I try (to be a positive role model). It’s been a tricky few years for cricket, ups and down, but things don’t always sail smoothly,” he added.
“You want to be a role model away from the pitch. Me and Mo (Moeen Ali) are out there in our communities.
“We all have the responsibility to do our best on and off the field. Through playing cricket we are showing other people from these parts of England that they can make it to the top.”
Greenway, who played in four Ashes-winning teams and was part of England’s double World Cup success in 2009, cited hard work and resilience as two of the key characteristics she and her generation of players had to show to reach the top, having come through at a time before central contracts.
She said her family had all been supportive in helping her reach the top, including her late grandmother.
“She really helped provide perspective when things went a bit ‘Pete Tong'”, Greenway told PA.
“She was very level-headed and a really good person to just go and have a cup of tea with when you’ve had a bad week or a bad game or something. She was always there.”
Greenway’s Cricket For Girls academy helps train teachers to deliver coaching.
“Working with the teachers is probably some of the most rewarding work that I do because they’re brilliant,” she said.
“They’re so passionate about what they do, but they just need a bit of a push in the right direction.”
Greenway is excited for the Women’s Ashes, which has been scheduled side by side with the men’s series this summer.
“Women’s cricket is in as strong a place as it ever has been because there just always seems to be these gradual improvements that are being fed into the game,” she added.
“With the men and women being on the same platform for the Ashes, we saw with the Hundred that when you present a sport that is seen as equal from a man and a woman’s point of view, the youngsters don’t even question it.
“It really helps shape people’s attitudes towards women’s cricket and shows it as what it should be, in that these are people who are at the top of what they can do, physically and mentally, going head to head with their opposition.
“It will only help grow the amount of publicity and awareness of the women’s game which is brilliant.”
Curran’s MBE is recognition of the tremendous start he has made to his career, with the highlight at international level being his star turn in helping England win the T20 World Cup last year.
He has so far played 85 times across three formats for England.
Curran said he was “overwhelmed and delighted” to learn he was being honoured, adding: “You see people getting these titles but you don’t expect it to be you. It’s an incredibly proud moment, not just for myself but for those who have helped me over the years.
“My loved ones have been a massive part of the journey and helped me every step of the way, they keep you motivated and help you succeed. There are a lot of awards in cricket but as an English sportsman this is a huge honour.”
