Vaughan and Fletcher get OBEs

England's players and officials, who helped regain the Ashes in 2005, figure prominently in their country's New Year Honours list. While Michael Vaughan, the captain, and Duncan Fletcher, the coach, have received OBEs (Officer of the Order of the British Empire), the rest of the team, including Paul Collingwood who only played in the final Test at The Oval, have been conferred MBEs (Member of the Order of the British Empire).

"It was a great team effort and I'm really pleased all the players have been honoured," Vaughan told BBC Sport. Clare Connor, the captain of England's Ashes-winning women's team, David Graveney, chairman of selectors, and Phil Neale, the England team's operations manager, were also appointed as OBEs.

Marcus Trescothick, who led England in the one-day series in Pakistan in the absence of the injured Vaughan, said: "It's not something you expect to happen to you just for playing cricket.

"To be appointed an MBE by your country is a great honour and I think it shows just how much winning the Ashes meant to everybody," he told BBC Sport.

Graveney, who has held his current post since 1997, said: "I thought the players quite rightly would be honoured in some way, but for me to also be honoured is amazing." The recognition also got him reminiscing about how the thing runs in the family. "We now have three things in common," he said, referring to Tom Graveney, his uncle and former England batsman. "We are both called Graveney, both have an OBE and were both sacked as Gloucestershire captain. When the letter arrived, I thought it was from the Inland Revenue," he told the Guardian.

There have been the invariable omissions too, notably in the case of Troy Cooley, the bowling coach, who was instrumental in imparting the reverse swinging skills to the England attack that took such a toll among the Australians. However, Medha Laud, the ECB's administration manager, whose principal duty has been arranging itineraries has awarded an MBE.

Simon Jones, the seamer who most tormented the tourists during the Ashes, told BBC Sport: "You obviously don't do the job for honours, but it's been an extraordinary year in everybody's life and it just shows what an impact beating Australia has had on everyone."

For Jones, the honour seems to have more than compensated for the disappointment of missing the final Ashes Test at The Oval and the recent tour to Pakistan due to an ankle injury. "It's been a frustrating few months for me but to become an MBE is unbelievable."