 | « Back to article | Print this article |
England cricketers urinate on pitch to celebrate Ashes triumph
England’s Ashes triumph is marred with an unfortunate incident.
-'Proud' Alastair 'privileged' to Cook up winning recipe with Eng teammates
-PHOTOS: Final Ashes Test ends in thrilling draw
Some of the England players celebrated by allegedly urinating on the pitch at the Oval.
After the dressing room party it is said that the players moved to the centre of the ground and allegedly urinated on the 22-yard-strip, which is considered to be sacrosanct for cricketers.
Reportedly Stuart Broad, Kevin Pietersen and James Anderson were the players involved in the incident.
England cricketers urinate on pitch to celebrate Ashes triumph
The result did not seem to dampen English euphoria as the players celebrated in the most unusual manner.
-Australia's top performers in Ashes: Clarke leads from the front
-ICC Test ranking: England leapfrogs India to second place
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 and took turns to relieve themselves on the pitch.
According to ESPN Cricinfo, Australian journalists were still at The Oval, when they reported seeing several England players relieve themselves on the pitch.
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.
England cricketers urinate on pitch to celebrate Ashes triumph
There was further controversy after the end of the match when Australia skipper Michael Clarke warned umpire Aleem Dar not to touch him, Australian media reported.
"Michael Clarke asked umpire Aleem Dar to take his hands off him as the final Test ended amid controversy and confusion after one of the most extraordinary days in the history of Ashes cricket," The Australian's Wayne Smith said.
The daily quoted Clarke as saying: "I can't remember what I said. I remember Aleem touching me and I asked him politely to not touch me because if I touched him I'd be suspended for three matches."
Dar had reached out with his left hand to push the Australian captain away.
Clarke later revealed at the post-match presentations that the lux (light) reading was 5.7, "no comparison", as he put it, to the brighter 8.1 level that had prompted the umpires to call play off in Manchester when Australia had been in control of the Third Test.
"Once they took the reading, I knew it was going to be darker than what it was in Manchester. I was batting at the time in Manchester and I knew it was going to be darker," Clarke said.