Published 14:59 IST, September 11th 2019

Geoffrey Boycott brushes off knighthood criticism, here's what he said

His knighthood is being questioned owing to an old domestic violence case in France but the legendary Englishman Geoffrey Boycott says he "doesn't give a toss"

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His knighthood is being questioned owing to an old domestic violence case in France but legendary Englishman Geoffrey Boycott says he "doesn't give a toss" as he has been houred solely for his cricketing success. Boycott was one of May's sporting heroes and former British Prime Minister spoke of her miration for his bloody-minded style of play on several occasions. During painfully slow Brexit negotiations last year, May defended her stance by saying: "Can I just say that you might recall from previous comments I have me about cricket that one of my cricket heroes was always Geoffrey Boycott. Boycott, 78, was a polarising figure for his conservative batting and acerbic personality, but that didn't stop him amassing 8,114 Test runs at an aver of 47.72 in an England career that ran between 1964 and 1982. 

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Boycott criticised for knighthood

After he was knighted by former British Prime Minister resa May, Boycott was severely criticised by UK's senior female MP Harriet Harman, who asked for a review of "baffling decision to hour a man who was convicted in a French court in 1998 for assaulting his n-girlfriend, Margaret Moore". Boycott reacted angrily and was quoted as saying by BBC Rio 4's Today programme that he "didn't give a toss" about criticism from anti-domestic abuse campaigners, including ina Claire, co-acting chief executive of Women's Aid, who described his hour as "extremely disappointing". "I don't give a toss about her (Claire), love. It was 25 years ago. You can take your political nature and do whatever you want with it. You want to talk to me about my knighthood, it's very nice of you to have me, but I couldn't give a toss," he said. "Twenty-five years ago, love, in a French court, she tried to blackmail me for 1million pound. I said , because in England if you pay any money at all, we think: 'Hang on, re must be something re'.  "I said: 'I'm t paying anything'  I'm t sure I'd actually got a million at time," he ded.

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Knighthood for achievement says Boycott

Boycott said knighthood was a recognition of his cricketing achievement. He me 8114 runs for England from 108 Tests and later turned into a respected commentator.  "This is just recognition of my cricket," he said. "(It's) very nice, very houred, thankful to resa May and I thank all people that supported me and cared for me throughout my cricketing career."  Boycott, who was fined 5,000 pounds and handed a three-month suspended jail sentence for incident at a French hotel in 1996, was knighted in May's resignation hours list alongside ar former England opening batsman Andrew Strauss. Boycott has always denied charge. "It's a court case in France where you're guilty, which is one of reasons I (didn't) vote to remain in Europe - because you're guilty until you're proved incent. That's totally opposite from England and it's very difficult to prove you're incent in ar country and ar langu," he said. "Most people in England don't believe it. I didn't do it. Move on. It's a cross I have to bear, right or wrong, good or b, I have to live with it. And I do, because I'm clear in my mind and I think most people in England are that it's t true."

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14:39 IST, September 11th 2019