England’s cricket legend Ian Botham had been chosen for knighthood but mercurial footballer David Beckham has been left out of the Queen’s birthday honours list.
Beckham’s omission comes amid speculation that England’s most salable footballer would be knighted, a report in Daily Mail said here on Friday.
The honours is to be presented on Saturday.
32-year-old Beckham made a dramatic return to the England team after being left out in the wake of 2006 World Cup debacle.
Beckham was reportedly favoured for the knighthood following his key role in London’s successful bid to host the 2012 Olympics.
To knight Beckham would have been unprecedented since sportspersons were normally given the honours only after their playing days, the report said.
51-year-old Botham’s on field heroics should have been enough to earn him the knighthood long ago.

Great all-rounder
The former captain was one of the greatest all-rounders of his time with 5200 runs and 383 wickets in 102 Tests.
Besides, he also singlehandedly led England to victory over their arch-rivals Australia in 1981. In fact, he was awarded an OBE in 1992.
But controversies off the field, particularly after his playing days, seemed to have put him out of favour.

Respected
The charismatic ‘Beefy’ has turned it around, though.
If his expert opinions as television commentator and newspaper columnist are respected by fans and players alike, his fund-raising walks for cancer patients have endeared him to the British public.