The Ashes: After urinating on Oval pitch, England players say sorry

England players have finally apologized for their over-the-top celebration after clinching the Ashes series at The Oval in London. In a statement issued by the England cricket Board, the team accepted it was carried away by the euphoria of winning a bitterly-fought series. (Read: Real shame that England players urinated on Oval pitch, says Shane Warne)

"We apologise for that and want to reassure people that it was a simple error of judgement more than anything else," the players said
England's 3-0 Ashes triumph was losing sheen after the Australian media reported on Monday that Kevin Pietersen, Stuart Broad and James Anderson urinated on The Oval pitch while being cheered by team-mates. According to a report in The Telegraph, Surrey -- the County that has the historic Oval as their home ground - had asked the ECB for an apology and investigate the incident. (Related read: England players may have answered call of nature, says Graeme Swann)

Richard Gould, the Surrey CEO, too slammed the behaviour of the players and admitted the nature of celebration tarnished England's image after a convincing series victory. Former Australian spin king Shane Warne, also slammed the English players, calling the 'act' a "shame.". Sports minister Hugh Robertson has also wanted a probe.

Full statement:

"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."