Former England all-rounder Ian Botham is all set to be made a peer by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson as a reward for his support of Brexit, a campaign referring UK leaving the European Union (EU). According to a report in The Times, Botham will be among 30 new life peers announced by British Prime Minister Johnson to mark his first year at 10 Downing Street. On many previous occasions, Botham has voiced his support for the Brexit campaign and also appeared alongside Johnson before the 2016 referendum that saw Britons vote to leave the European Union. Notably, there was no immediate comment from Downing Street. Ian Botham Reveals He Had Coronavirus in January but Mistook it As Bad Flu.

Botham, who has 5200 runs and 383 wickets in Test cricket, is regarded as one of the best all-rounders to have ever stepped onto the cricket field. In 2007, the cricket legend got the title of ‘Sir’ as he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to sport and his charity work for leukaemia research.

As the former England captain is set to become a lord, he’ll also become a member of the unelected House of Lords which is one of the two chambers of Britain's parliament alongside the democratically elected House of Commons. In fact, if Botham gets elevated in the peerage, he’ll get the honour to become the ninth Test cricketer to sit in the Lords.

Some of the prominent cricket stars to have held the honorary position are former England captains David Sheppard and Colin Cowdrey, West Indies' Learie Constantine and former England women's captain Rachael Heyhoe Flint.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 18, 2020 11:44 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).