Former England captain had one scare on his way to 150 in his first match since he was knighted in the New Year’s Honours list

He did not want a fuss. He was still one of the lads, he said. He had only been made a knight, for heaven’s sake, not a god.

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Andy Murray has been quite successful in pretending his knighthood never happened. This one was emblazoned right at the top of the first scorecard of his first match since the New Year’s Honours list. Essex batting line-up: 1. Sir AN Cook.

And during lunch an infants’ class turned up with plastic bats to give all the players a guard of honour. No fuss at all.

But there is a perfect way to deal with embarrassment of this kind. And the former England captain Alastair Cook made the Cambridge Universities team suffer by making an unbeaten 150, his 64th first-class century.

This was a novelty in various ways. First there is the knighthood thingy. The wall of the Fenner’s pavilion has the names of the people who have represented Cambridge in the Varsity match since the dawn of time and I couldn’t find a single Sir in any of them. Plenty of Hons, the odd Lord, but not even a measly baronet.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Sir Alastair Cook pinches a single. Photograph: Joe Giddens/PA

Secondly, there was the time of year. First-class cricket has not been played in England on Greenwich Mean Time since 1914. Cook was performing before the clocks change, before old-time cricketers even reported back for training. Lord’s, ever slow on the uptake, brought the start time forward at the last moment. Otherwise His Knightship might have batted in darkness.

It might not have bothered him. After early sunshine, the clouds took over and, so huddled spectators thought, it became bloody cold. Cook was in shirt-sleeves, no sweater. Yet it was not as if he was running about. Even during the warm-ups he cultivated an air that suggested respectful enthusiasm without sacrificing economy of effort. He knows how to take care of himself, does Sir.

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And at the crease, he managed to remain languorous, and sometimes immobile, while also retaining his long-held virtues of concentration, imperturbability and technique. He nearly went first ball, actually: a young seam bowler called Matt Smith was so unnerved by his opponent that he left fly with a full-toss that astonished Cook and nearly did for him. By the time Smith bowled his third of those in succession Cook had got the hang of this and clonked it for four.

Mostly he proceeded with the same careful craftsmanship he used to bring to Ashes Tests, although he reached his 50 just before lunch with a swish to leg that was full of the joys of spring. Or winter. Whichever. The 100 came before tea. He then sped up to the next landmark and the declaration, at 387 for five. The students – all but one from Anglia Ruskin University rather than its better-known neighbour – were given a masterclass.

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No one begrudges the ever-chivalrous Cook his knighthood but there is something odd about it. Large chunks of Britain’s honours system are corrupt, political ones especially. Artistic and sporting honours remain untainted.

But Cook’s achievements were short of the greatness that normally brings a knighthood. Len Hutton – in 1956 – was the last English cricketer to be knighted solely for his on-field achievements.

So what’s going on? I can offer a theory. Even before she became prime minister, Theresa May was agitating for her favourite cricketer to have a knighthood. She has been distracted by more trivial matters lately.

But you could hardly have two knighted cricketers in quick succession. I think that someone, somewhere has been doing their best to stop the Queen uttering the words “Arise, Sir Geoffrey.”