LONDON, June 16: Author Salman Rushdie and former England cricketer Ian Botham were awarded knighthoods by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II on Saturday. The nominations -- transforming them into Sir Salman and Sir Ian -- topped a long list of awards bestowed on artists, sportsmen, diplomats, journalists and others in the queen’s annual Birthday Honours List.

Indian-born Rushdie was forced to go into hiding for a decade after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a death sentence over his book “The Satanic Verses”, claiming it insulted Islam.

His second novel “Midnight’s Children” won the prestigious Booker Prize in 1981 and was named the best novel in 25 years of the prize in 1993. Rushdie is also a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Botham, England’s most famous all-rounder, played Test cricket from 1977 to 1992, notching up 5,200 runs and 383 wickets.

He has also raised millions of pounds for children’s cancer charities with a series of epic walks.

Other awards in the queen’s list go to journalist Christiane Amanpour and Oleg Gordievsky, a former KGB chief who was Britain’s highest-ranking defector from the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

A series of awards have also been handed out to stars from the worlds of sport and entertainment.—AFP