The former England cricket captain and commentator Geoffrey Boycott has been knighted in Theresa May’s resignation honours list for their service to sport.

The honour has sparked controversy owing to his conviction in a French court more than 20 years ago for assaulting his then girlfriend. He was fined £5,000 and given a three-month suspended jail sentence, but has always denied the charge.

The decision was condemned by Adina Claire, co-acting chief executive of the charity Women’s Aid, who said: “Celebrating a man who was convicted for assaulting his partner sends a dangerous message – that domestic abuse is not taken seriously as a crime.”

May famously likened her approach to her premiership and work to get a Brexit deal through the Commons to his stoicism as a player. At a press conference in December 2018 after the resignations of cabinet members, she was asked jokingly by a journalist how many “wickets” would fall in her cabinet before she resigned “as captain”.

She said: “One of my cricket heroes was always Geoffrey Boycott. [He] stuck to it and he got the runs in the end.”

The former prime minister’s love of cricket was well documented and she spent her first day as a backbencher after leaving No 10 watching England play at Lord’s.

The former Yorkshire and England opening batsman and commentator has also been an outspoken supporter of Brexit.

Former England captain Andrew Strauss was also knighted. He led England to triumph in the Ashes in Australia in the 2010-11 series and is a former director of English cricket. He is now campaigning for research into rare forms of lung cancer after the death of his wife, Ruth, in 2018.

A knighthood was given to his former batting partner Alastair Cook in the new year honours list.

Strauss, who is father to two children aged 10 and 13, set up the Ruth Strauss Foundation in his wife’s memory after she asked if he could set up a charity in the final few months of her life.

At the second Ashes Test at Lord’s this summer, more than £380,000 was raised for the foundation when the ground was turned red and spectators were encouraged to wear the colour in Ruth’s memory.