• England v Australia, 5th Test, 5th day

England players apologise for 'Cricileaks' incident

ESPN staff
August 28, 2013
England celebrated their Ashes series win on the pitch at the Oval after Sunday's drawn fifth Test © Getty Images
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England's players have issued a statement apologising for urinating on the Oval pitch in the aftermath of completing a 3-0 Ashes win on Sunday. The incident was dubbed Cricileaks by some of the tabloid newspapers.

"'The England cricket team would like to state that during our celebrations after winning the Ashes at no time was there any intention to disrespect Surrey CCC, the Oval or anyone else involved in the game we love. As a team we pride ourselves on respecting all things cricket including the opposition and the grounds we play at. We got carried away amongst the euphoria of winning such a prestigious series and accept that some of our behaviour was inappropriate.

"If that has caused any offence to anyone we apologise for that and want to reassure people that it was a simple error of judgement more than anything else."

The England board has also expressed regret but said no further action will be taken. It will now consider the matter closed and leave coach Andy Flower to handle the situation internally. He is expected to remind the players that while celebrations are encouraged they should always be aware of the limits.

Shane Warne, who has not missed a chance to snipe at the England side all summer, told the Daily Telegraph the act was "disrespectful, crass, pretty ordinary, and arrogant".

The story has surprisingly had a higher profile than when England regained the Ashes in 2005 and it was revealed that a player had urinated in the garden of No. 10 Downing Street during an official reception.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd
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