In a distasteful postscript to the Ashes triumph, some of the England players celebrated by allegedly urinating on the pitch at the Oval here.
After the dressing room party, including uncorking the bubbly, the players moved to the centre of the ground and allegedly urinated on the pitch, which is considered to be sacrosanct for cricketers.
Reportedly Stuart Broad, Kevin Pietersen and James Anderson were the players involved in the incident.
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 22-yard-strip.
According to ESPN Cricinfo, Australian cricket journalists were still at The Oval, completing dead-of-night tour pieces when they reported seeing several England players take turns to 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. The incident has for sure taken some sheen away from England’s 3-0 win.
Curator Cam Sutherland said it was not a “good look” and called it unfortunate.
The final Test of the series ended in a dramatic draw after umpires took the players off for bad light, with England needing 21 to win in four overs.
There was controversy surrounding the ending and the umpires, Aleem Dar and Kumar Dharmasena, and Australian skipper Michael Clarke were booed by the home crowd. However, the result did not seem to dampen English euphoria as the players celebrated in the most unusual manner.
Whether it was the joy of winning or showing frustration at people, England players have resorted to this ugly manner in the recent past. England discard Monty Panesar after an argument with bouncers in a pub rushed to the roof and decided to relieve himself on them. He was subsequently fined and issued an apology through his spokesperson. — PTI
