Former England cricketer Geoffrey Boycott (mirror.co.uk file photo)
Former England batsman turned commentator Geoffrey Boycott, has apologised after suggesting that he would have a better chance of getting a knighthood if he "blacked up" his face to look like a West Indian cricketer.
Boycott, who played 108 test matches for England between 1964 and 1982, including 29 against West Indies, made his remarks during a question-and-answer session at a VIP lunch during the first test against West Indies at Edgbaston. Knighthoods, he said, were handed out like "confetti" to West Indies greats.
He gave no names, but a total of 11 former Caribbean greats have been conferred with the honour to date, including Sir Vivian Richards, Sir Garfield Sobers and Sir Curtly Ambrose. "Mine's been turned down twice, i'd better black me face," Boycott is quoted as saying.
The last England cricketer to receive a knighthood was Sir Ian Botham in 2007, with Sir Alec Bedser earning his a decade earlier in 1997.
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