“We had a great time, enjoyed spending time together after a hard-fought series" - Zak Crawley on the post-Ashes celebrations with the Aussies
England opening batter Zak Crawley opened up about the post-Ashes series celebrations with Australia following the final Test at The Oval. The five-match affair ended in a 2-2 draw as the Aussies retained the urn after coming into the series as the current holders.
Reports initially suggested that the two teams did not meet up for the customary post-series celebrations. However, it was all due to a simple misunderstanding, which England skipper Ben Stokes clarified through social media. Instead of meeting in the stadium's dressing room, the two sides decided to converge at a nightclub after the culmination of a memorable series.
Revealing that there were no shenanigans like the post-series celebrations after the 2005 Ashes, Crawley said on the Vaughany and Tuffers podcast:
“There wasn’t a Freddie Flintoff [who got very drunk celebrating the 2005 Ashes], it takes a lot to get there. We had a great time, and enjoyed spending time together after a hard-fought series. It was a bit more muted than your [Vaughan’s] one, you won the Ashes, and this time the Aussies retained it."
England's last Ashes win came in 2015 when they defeated Australia by a 3-2 margin. They have since compiled hard-fought drawn series' at home (2019 and 2023), but have been dominated by Australia Down Under in the same timeframe.
"The timings didn’t quite work" - Zak Crawley on the confusion at The Oval after the post-match commitments
The misunderstanding stemmed from the fact that England's debrief after the series lasted a bit longer than expected. The team bid their farewells to the likes of Stuart Broad and Moeen Ali, who played their last Tests in the fifth Ashes contest.
Zak Crawley stated that the two teams could not meet up at the venue itself due to a timing clash.
"It was a shame, the timings didn’t work. Both teams do a debrief. Ours is usually a bit shorter than on Monday night. Stuart Broad leaving, Moeen [Ali] leaving, and one of the physios Griff leaving as well. It was a normal debrief plus send-offs. In there a bit too long, so it didn’t quite work for the Aussies. The timings didn’t quite work," he explained.
England's next Test assignment is scheduled for early 2024 in the form of a five-match series against India away from home. The Ben Stokes-led side would be keen on adding points to their World Test Championship (WTC) tally, especially after their points deduction for a slow over-rate in the 2023 Ashes.