Sing-song in the baths, party in the middle.. then an Uber to McDonald’s
WHAT a special day that was – and it is one I will never forget.
The Ashes are still alive, the country is buzzing about cricket and I’m enjoying playing my part in the summer the way I hoped I would.
But there is still more to come from all of us as we try to get that urn back where it belongs.
The World Cup was so special and meant so much to all of us who took part, and this is right up there with it because the Ashes has always meant so much.
We all wanted to win both before the summer started and we still have the chance to do just that.That is why what happened at Headingley was so important. Had we lost, the Ashes were gone.
Now we’ve got a little break to get home and get ourselves ready to go again at Old Trafford, and I’ve been telling all the lads I can’t wait to get home and cut the grass!
I’m so excited by that and I don’t care if that makes me sad, or middle-aged or whatever, that is what I’m looking forward to.
It had been a while since I scored a Test hundred so to get two in back-toback matches is hugely satisfying. But the second one was a bit more special because it came in a win rather than a draw.
People have expressed their surprise at these innings coming so soon after the World Cup, but this is what I’m supposed to do.
This is what I want to be doing, this is what I train for and put the hard yards in for, so it is great when you’re able to show off your skills and help your team win games of cricket.
Of course what happened at Headingley was a terrific day for all of us involved and we celebrated as you would expect long into the night. We started in the changing room and they had the full replay of the partnership with me and Jack Leach on the TV so we all watched it together with Alastair Cook, who came up to see everyone.
It was great to relive it all and the atmosphere in the dressing room was just brilliant even with three guys stood in the bathtub – and I have no idea why.
Joe Denly, Jos Buttler and Rory Burns were all in there singing songs
and asking people to get in the bath with them, but it was just too hot so we had to go outside.
We went out to the Dickie Bird balcony and J-Roy said, ‘Are we going to go out on the pitch or what?’ So we went to the toilet, grabbed the speakers, and got out there where Leachy gave everyone an action replay of his single!
It was a great celebration among us before we went back to the team hotel to catch up with friends and family.
Me, Buttler, Woakes, Burns and Root all jumped in an Uber and got £55 worth of McDonald’s drive thru on the way.
Unlike at the World Cup, not everybody had their families there but there were plenty of friends and people who had come up.
We had a great night with Joe Denly hosting the afterparty in his room with me, Rooty, Rooty’s mum and dad and Burns. It was a brilliant night.
Everyone was so excited and just buzzing off what had been an incredible day.
It was obvious what I had been doing, but I wanted to know what everyone else had been doing, how they had watched it and what the emotions were like.
All the lads were telling me about their little superstitions and how whenever anybody moved to get a drink or go to the toilet everyone else was telling them to get back as quickly as possible.
Our analyst had his arm leaning on a table, holding the end of it – and it was quite sore because he didn’t move it for four hours!
There were a lot of messages of congratulations and things like that, which show how much people enjoyed following the game.
Probably the best one came in a direct message from Robbie Fowler who said, ‘Well done on the win’, and I just replied, ‘Legeeeeeeend!’
I’m so pleased and proud of the way Leachy played. His part in it all was so important, and when he came out I just told him I’d try and face five balls and him one in the over.
I said if I thought we could run a two then we would so to be ready for it, and he knew what he had to do. We almost had that run out, which would have been such a shame.
The crowd were incredible too and I could obviously hear the noise they were making, but not much more than that. So afterwards someone told me that the entire Western Terrace had their shoes off at one stage singing my name, and I just said, ‘What? That’s ridiculous, but also pretty funny’.
I’m looking forward to seeing what Manchester has in store next week.