Jimmy Anderson Denied Knighthood Over Fears Of Aussie Sledging During The Ashes

Us Aussies will look for any reason to give someone some stick - especially if they're English.

So with The Ashes series a little under 11 months away, the Poms thought it'd be necessary to halt Jimmy Anderson's knighthood until next year over fears we might sledge him too much.

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The age-old cricket rivalry is set to resume in November when England travel Down Under to face Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane.

And after securing The Ashes on foreign soil back in 2019, don't expect us Aussies to be eating our not-so-humble meat pies in peace when the two teams face off.

So when the English do finally touch down at Brisbane Airport after that truly awful 24-hour flight, we'll be reminding the likes of Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Stuart Broad that they're deep in enemy territory.

And don't worry, the Barmy Army will be copping plenty of stick too.

But all jokes aside, while the rivalry itself is fierce, most of the banter between fans and the players is all good-natured at the end of the day.

Although clearly not in the eyes of some.

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According to The Times, England's all-time leading wicket-taker Anderson was overlooked on the New Year's Honours list to receive a knighthood because he could be a target for sledging during the Ashes.

An anonymous source told the British newspaper: "I don't think we'd send out Jimmy Anderson to face the Australians with a knighthood."

Are we really that nasty or are our old enemy simply learning from their past mistakes?

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Back in 2005, the entire England team were awarded MBEs and OBEs after clinching The Ashes in dramatic fashion (we can't possibly forget that iconic picture of Freddie Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen outside 10 Downing Street).

But in the following series in 2006/07, the Aussies clearly didn't forget the heartbreak of 2005 and went on to beat England 5-0 in an Ashes whitewash.

Perhaps this had something to do with why Anderson - a man who is definitely worthy of a knighthood - will have to wait until 2022 to be formally known as 'Sir Jimmy Anderson'.

Topics: Aussie, Cricket, The Ashes, England, Cricket News, Australia

Max Sherry

Max Sherry is a journalist for SPORTbible Australia. After migrating Down Under from London as a teenager, he instantly fell in love with Aussie sport and its culture. From NRL to AFL, cricket to rugby — you name it, Max watches it (with a beer in hand, of course). During his time at Fox Sports, he worked in the football department covering the Premier League, A-League, Socceroos and Matildas. Born a stone's throw away from West Ham's training ground, Max is obviously a die-hard Liverpool fan.

@maxysherry