Andrew Strauss is the sole member of England’s Ashes-winning team to make the BBC Sports Personality shortlist in a year of bookies’ favourites from the traditional awards powerhouses of athletics, motorsport and boxing.
Even the most optimistic member of the Barmy Army would concede that nominations recognising the emergence of Jonathan Trott or the test-saving batting partnership of James Anderson and Monty Panesar would have been pushing it a bit.
But the all-round efforts of Stuart Broad and the decisive – if limited – intervention of Andrew Flintoff would not have looked out of place in a 10-person shortlist spread across nine different sports.
Jenson Button has been named bookies’ favourite as he tries to go one better than F1 rival – and future team-mate – Lewis Hamilton, runner-up for each of the last two years.
His closest rivals are likely to be heptathlon world champion Jessica Ennis and heavyweight boxer David Haye, with the trio representing the sports that fill the top three places in the competition to provide the most winners since the awards were founded in 1954.
Athletes have won the top prize 17 times, against seven Formula One or motorcycle racers and five boxers. Next up is football and cricket with four wins each. Flintoff’s award after the previous Ashes victory in 2005 was preceeded by Ian Botham in 1981, David Steele in 1975 and Jim Laker in 1956.
The chance that Struss might join them on the role of honour is not rated highly by the bookies, who think he will be a step behind the top three alongside the first footballer on the shortlist since 2005, Ryan Giggs, who is likely to score sentimental votes as he approaches the end of his career.
World champion gymnast Beth Tweddle could also poll strongly, while the remaining shortlisted candidates are cyclist Mark Cavendish, triple jumper Phillips Idowu, tennis champion Andy Murray and teenage diver Tom Daley.
The nominees will be put to a public vote on the night of the live show, which will be broadcast from Sheffield Arena at 1900 GMT, Sunday 13 December on BBC One. F1 presenter Jake Humphrey, Sue Barker and Gary Lineker will co-host.
The shortlist was put together by a panel of 26 sports editors from national and regional newspapers and magazines. The BBC’s Carl Doran said: “Overall there are nine sports represented and you only have to look at those who just missed out, like Bradley Wiggins, Victoria Pendleton, Tony McCoy and Andrew Flintoff, to see how strong a line-up it is.”
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