Image courtesy of: The Telegraph

“We got carried away amongst the euphoria of winning such a prestigious series and accept that some of our behaviour was inappropriate”

The England Ashes squad have apologised for their over-the-top post-series celebrations at The Oval, which saw them take turns urinating on the pitch, while the others cheered on.

In a statement issued by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), the national team admitted that they had acted irresponsibly and set a bad example.

Many Australian journalists were still around and about when a majority of the England players, including batsman Kevin Pietersen and the pace duo of Stuart Broad and James Anderson, defiled the historic Oval pitch.

Surrey, whose home ground is The Oval, has demanded an apology from the ECB and called for an investigation to be launched.

Surrey CEO Richard Gould slammed the national team for their behaviour and believes the side’s image has now been tarnished.

Former Australia spin king Shane Warne was also disgusted by England’s actions, calling it a “shame”.

“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. “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.”