Shane Warne has been posthumously recognized on this year’s Queen’s Day list of honors, with the big cricket becoming an official of the Order of Australia.
Former Test spinner, who died of a heart attack in March, joined former world No. 1 tennis player Ash Barty in receiving an AO while current cricket captain female, Meg Lanning, received an award. AM, member of the Order of Australia.
The only gold medalist at the Australian Winter Olympics at this year’s Beijing Games, Jakara Anthony, was recognized with an OAM, a medal of the Order of Australia.
Warne, whose sudden death in Thailand caused a torrent of national grief, a flow of tributes and a state memorial service to the MCG, which now has a stand bearing his name, was one of 992 Australians. who received the awards Sunday night.
He was honored for his distinguished service to cricket as a player, model and commentator, to the community through charitable initiatives and for philanthropic contributions.
Ash Barty received his AO for his distinguished service in elite level tennis and youth development programs. Photography: Peter Argent
Warne was one of Australia’s best cricketers, with 708 ports over a 15-year test run. In 2012 he was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame and was named one of Wisden’s cricketers of the century in 2000.
His off-field work was equally prodigious; He founded the Shane Warne Foundation in 2004 and has been a supporter and benefactor of many other charities and conservation organizations, including My Room Children’s Cancer Charity and the Elton John Aids Foundation.
Barty, who surprised the tennis world earlier this year when he announced his retirement at age 25, received his AO for his distinguished service to elite tennis and youth development programs.
The Queenslander marked the moment of her career in March while at the top of the game: she had been number 1 in the world since 2019 and earlier this year she added the crown of the Australian Open to her col Grand Slam collection, which also includes the French Open and the French Open. Wimbledon singles and US Open women’s doubles titles.
Barty, a proud Ngarigo woman, has been the National Indigenous Tennis Ambassador of Australia since 2018 and was voted Young Australian of the Year in 2020. She also won the highest honor in Australian tennis, the Newcombe Medal, four times between the 2017 and 2021.
Lanning, captain of Australia’s ODI and T20 test teams since 2014, was recognized for her “significant service” in elite women’s cricket. To date, he has racked up more than 8,500 races, including 14 ODIs and two centuries of T20I, while leading a remarkably successful team to two World Cups and four Twenty20 World titles, including the latest edition.
Earlier this year, she also oversaw a complete victory for the Women’s Ashes series over England. The 30-year-old has won the Belinda Clark Medal three times as the best female cricketer in Australia and was the inaugural winner of the 2014 Wisden Women’s Cricket Award of the Year.
Continuing the tradition of honoring Olympic gold medalists, freestyle skier Anthony was recognized for her victory in the freestyle moguls at the Beijing Winter Games, where she was the only Australian who won the gold.
Former Test Test cricketer Doug Walters received an AM, along with former golfer Sandra McCaw, the only woman to win the Australian Amateur Women’s Golf Championship four times. between 1972 and 1984.