Sir Alastair Cook receives knighthood from the Queen

Essex cricketer Sir Alastair Cook has been knighted by the Queen.

The 34-year-old batsman received his honour at a ceremony today (Tuesday 26th February) at Buckingham Palace.

Click below for Palace footage of Cook being knighted

Cook is England's all-time leading run-scorer and is also their most-capped player.

He retired from international cricket last summer, hitting a century in his final test match against India at The Oval, but still plays domestically for his county.

Cook was recognised for his services to cricket in the New Year's Honours list.

He has become the first England cricketer to be knighted since Ian Botham in 2007.