England players apologise for Oval revelry

The England players have apologised for their celebrations at The Oval after winning the Ashes 3-0 on Sunday. There were reports - neither officially confirmed nor denied - that they had urinated on the pitch but the statement issued via the ECB on Wednesday did not go into the specifics of the incident.

"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 read.

"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."

Australian cricket journalists were still at The Oval after the crowds had dispersed when they reported seeing several England players taking it turns to relieve themselves on the pitch. It is not known how many players were involved.