The England cricket team has apologised after three top players celebrated the Ashes victory by allegedly urinating on the pitch at The Oval here hours after the fifth and final Test ended on Sunday night.
"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," the team said in a statement.
The allegations, which originated from Australian journalists who were at the press box as darkness enveloped the ground, involved Stuart Broad, Kevin Pietersen and Jimmy Anderson who had all made significant contributions to England's 3-0 triumph in the series.
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"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," the statement added.
The players are alleged to have taken turns to urinate on the pitch after they sat on the ground with their post-match drinks, according to an Australian journalist.
The three players relieved themselves on the pitch to the cheers of teammates as the England players celebrated the victory.
"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 statement said.
According to media reports, about five hours after the last Test was stopped due to bad light with England close to victory, the players gathered near the pitch to continue their celebrations.
While the centre of the ground was quite dark, lights were on in the grandstands with people still cleaning up after a late finish, which saw the game go beyond usual time.
The incident took some sheen away from England's win over Australia, who failed to rise to the occasion.
