We found Holy Grail says Strauss as he collects OBE

England cricket captain Andrew Strauss described his team’s Ashes victory in Australia as the “Holy Grail” yesterday after he received his OBE.

Strauss received the honour for leading the nation’s top cricketers to an emphatic win last winter in the famous series against the “Aussies”.

England thrashed their opponents 3-1 – their first victory in Australia for 24 years.

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The sportsman was presented with the award by the Princess Royal at a Windsor Castle investiture ceremony and said afterwards: “It was certainly one of the proudest moments of my career because for us winning the Ashes away from home is a bit like the Holy Grail.

“It’s not something that many English sides have done previously, so it makes it more satisfying when you are able to achieve that.”

Since beating the Australians, England have gone on to reach greater sporting heights with Strauss at the helm.

A succession of Test victories saw them become the number one Test side after they beat India during the summer to claim the top spot from the Asian side.

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Asked about the secret of England’s success, Strauss replied: “The bottom line for me is the players on the pitch have to deliver under pressure and we’ve done that consistently over a number of months and years now.

“The players have been fantastic and it’s a great credit to all those guys who are standing up and delivering time and time again.”

South African-born Strauss, who has an English mother, made his first class debut for Middlesex in 1998 but had to wait six years before being chosen for an England Test side. In 2004 he was picked as a replacement for injured captain Michael Vaughan but made the most of the opportunity, scoring 112 in the first innings and then 83 in the second.

The left-hander hit scored that quickly established him as an England batsman. Strauss ended 2004 with almost 1,000 Test runs for England from just nine matches and the following year was in the victorious national side that reclaimed the Ashes.