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Ashes heroes honoured
Cricket, 11:32, December 14, 2009 ,
England's Ashes heroes have been honoured with the Team of the Year prize at the 2009 BBC Sports Personality show in Sheffield.
Andrew Strauss's side upset the odds to win the series against Australia 2-1, with victory in the final Test at the Oval enough to regain the famous little urn from Ricky Ponting's talented side.
There was no repeat of the famous ticker tape parade and Trafalgar Square ceremony which greeted the 2005 Ashes-winning stars as this year's vintage had the one-day series to play following the Tests.
But Strauss and his men had not been forgotten and the whole squad were on hand to receive the news and take the applause via video link to their team hotel in South Africa.
The skipper, who led from the front with a superb batting display against the Aussies, accepted the award on behalf of his team and praised the spirit within the squad for the way they bounced back to achieve glory at the Oval.
"It is a truly great honour," he said. "It has been a long and arduous 12 months and a lot of ups and downs.
"What I am most proud about is that we have stuck together in some pretty tough times. That is what got us over the line in the Ashes and this award can act as a spur to achieve more in the future."