Cricket: Colly hails Barmy Army after clinching Ashes

Published on Thursday 6 January 2011 10:34

England may have broken a 24-year duck by beating Australia in their own back yard this winter but retiring batsman Paul Collingwood said celebrating with the Barmy Army made the SCG feel just like home.

With rain hovering overhead the tourists took the three wickets they needed today to condemn their hosts to yet another innings defeat in Sydney, placing the finishing touches on a 3-1 series victory in the process.

The team immediately broke out into joyous celebrations in the middle before making their way to share the moment with the huge English contingent in the Victor Trumper Stand.

For Collingwood it was a bittersweet moment: the end of his Test career and also its pinnacle, and he thanked his side's followers for ensuring it was enjoyed in the right fashion.

"I'm a softie really. There were times when I had goose bumps," he conceded.

"I always said I wanted to bow out in England in front of English fans and it felt like home here. The atmosphere out there was special. The lads standing in the slips were all looking at our arms and we had goose bumps going up them.

"It is a sad moment in many ways but I honestly think it is the right time. This is why I've been playing cricket - to be in a position like this against Australia in Australia.

"To bow out in front of so many English fans, having won the Ashes in Australia, it couldn't get any better."

Another man for whom the series represented a scarcely believable high was Surrey seamer Chris Tremlett.

Tremlett dismissed Michael Beer to close the final innings of the series and secure the win, a set of circumstances few would have predicted when he was a surprise call-up to the touring party after three years in the wilderness.

"It's unbelievable," he said. "It was great to get an opportunity and be here. It's an amazing feeling and I couldn't imagine this would happen.

"We gave ourselves a chance to finish it yesterday, but didn't, so we turned up today and bowled in the right areas.

"I tried to bowl straight. Luckily he (Beer) dragged on and to take the last wicket is brilliant."

England batsman Alastair Cook was named as the man of the match and of the series for his astonishing 766-run haul across the five matches and he too carries lifelong memories from the tour.

"It's amazing," he said. "To be there when Chris Tremlett took the final wicket will live long in the memory. I want to thank everyone, it's been a great trip.

"My best innings was the 200 at Brisbane. I'd never got a first class 200 or a Test 200 and to win man of the match in the final game of the Ashes is a dream come true. Our bowlers have been fantastic and have put some real pressure on the Australian batsmen."

Kevin Pietersen, who was part of the England side whitewashed 5-0 in Australia four years ago, said: "It's difficult to compare the two. It's amazing to win so convincingly in Australia. It's all credit to the team and the management. Every bloke has done something to make it such a great trip."

Australia have never lost three Tests by an innings in the same series before, and spinner Graeme Swann admitted he had not been aware of that statistic.

"To win three so convincingly helps us forget about the drubbing we had in Perth," he said.