The rest from the captaincy did Close good; he went through the 1971 season without injury, and scored 1,389 runs, including a century in his first game for Somerset, and a century in the game against Yorkshire. In 1972, he was awarded the CBE by the Queen for his services to cricket. Close was also promoted to Somerset captain. He soon gained the same respect and commitment from his players as he had at Yorkshire. He was also called up to the England one-day squad to captain them in a three-match One Day International series against Australia, which England won 2–1, when the regular England captain and his former Yorkshire teammate, Ray Illingworth, injured his ankle in the last Test.