Winning series was easy, sing Australian players

Australia’s celebrations lasted long into the night at Old Trafford on Sunday as they marked retaining the Ashes in England for the first time in 18 years.

The players sang their team song, Under the Southern Cross, on the outfield after everyone else had left the ground.

Nathan Lyon said the win had “brought a nation together”, but England should use some of their celebrations as motivation for seizing the consolation of levelling the series this week.

One song chanted by the team went: “Who did we beat? England... How did we do it? Easy.”

Later, Steve Smith was seen wearing and rubbing a pair of glasses before shadow batting lefthanded in the middle of a team huddle. The conclusion was that he was mimicking Jack Leach, although sources close to the team said he was taking off Chris Rogers, the former opener who last played for Australia four years ago. It seems an unlikely story and will not endear Smith to English fans at the Oval.

Retaining the Ashes was three National pride: Nathan Lyon says his team have united their country years in the planning for Australia, who have not won a series in England since Steve Waugh’s side in 2001. Waugh is here as a mentor and was part of the post-match celebrations at Old Trafford.

“You get the chance to come out here and play cricket for Australia and represent your family, friends and everyone back home,” Lyon said. “It’s quite a special moment that a sport can bring a nation together. I daresay that the boys in that changing room have brought a nation together.

“We’re 2-1 up and I want to go 3-1 up, and when we hold the urn up at the Oval it’s going to be an amazing feeling.”

Lyon, who had botched a run out that would have given Australia victory a week earlier at Headingley, was ironically cheered every time he caught the ball at the bowler’s end at Old Trafford.

“To be honest with you, you hear it for the first over or two, then it just becomes white noise,” he said.

“When you’re a professional sportsman, your job is to come out and bowl well, and compete against whoever you’re playing. I didn’t really feel it or hear it at the back end so it doesn’t worry me.”