England's cricketing heroes went to Buckingham Palace on Thursday to receive honours from the Queen to recognise their triumph over Australia in the Ashes series last summer.
Captain Michael Vaughan was named Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) while Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff and the rest of the team received MBEs -- members of the same order.
"It was a great team effort and I'm really pleased all the players have been honoured," Vaughan said when the awards were announced at the New Year.
England won the Ashes for the first time since 1987 defeating Australia 2-1 in a thrilling series that captivated the nation.
Vaughan's team lost the first test at Lord's but recovered to win nerve-biting games at Edgbaston and Trent Bridge.
Then, needing only a draw to retake the Ashes in the final match at the Oval, the team was staring at defeat on the last day until a remarkable innings from Kevin Pietersen steered England to safety.
Since the Ashes success, the cricketers have endured a much more difficult winter, losing a test series in Pakistan 2-0.
