`Beefy Botham is bowled over by his knighthood

Queen Elizabeth probably settled for calling him Sir Ian, but after receiving his knighthood at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, former England cricket great and charity icon Ian Botham admitted that his family and friends were less formal.

London, Oct. 11 : Queen Elizabeth probably settled for calling him Sir Ian, but after receiving his knighthood at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, former England cricket great and charity icon Ian Botham admitted that his family and friends were less formal.

"They're coming up with all kinds of names for me now and Sir Loin of Beef was the first good one," he said.

Sir Ian Botham said his investiture by the Queen was 'mind blowing'

However, according to the Daily Mail, he revealed that he has yet to be addressed as Sir Beefy after the nickname he acquired during his career as one of England's greatest Test cricketers.

The all-rounder captained his country and finished as England's leading Test wicket-taker with 383 victims and more than 5,000 Test runs.

Now 51, he was honoured for his services to sport and to charity, having raised millions of pounds for Leukaemia Research through long-distance walks.

Sir Ian, who was joined by his wife Kathy and grandchildren Regan, 13, and nine-year-old James, said: "The Queen does like her cricket, but we just talked about the Leukaemia Research Fund."

"I've had some great moments in sport and other walks of life, but nothing matches this," Botham was quoted as saying after receiving his knighthood.

ANI