Maia Lewis awarded Queen's Birthday honour

Maia Lewis, the former captain of New Zealand women, has been included in the Queen's Birthday Honours' List. Lewis, who turned 36 this week, was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her contribution to cricket, including playing in three World Cups.

Lewis was quick to thank those who helped her return from a career-threatening knee injury in 2003. "Without the support of my family and Cricket Wellington over my cricketing career to make a comeback after injury, I would not be receiving this honour. It was totally out of the blue to get the nomination."

She retired from international cricket in 2005 after playing 78 one-dayers and nine Tests. She now works as a community cricket co-ordinator in Wellington and joins Emily Drumm and Debbie Hockley who are previous recipients of the award. "I'm just proud to be picked alongside those sorts of players."

Lewis made her debut against England in the 1991-92 seasons and went on to play nine Tests, and 78 one-dayers, where she managed 1372 runs at an average of 22.49.

She made a significant contribution with her dynamic captaincy and has been responsible for the development of several young cricketers on the international scene. She led the side in the 1997 World Cup in India, where leading run-scorer for New Zealand in the 2005 World Cup with 189 runs at an average of 31.5.