Twitter reacts as Steve Smith and Jack Leach were seen together wearing glasses

An absorbing Ashes 2019 came to a premature conclusion at The Oval on Sunday with England winning the fifth Test by 135 runs to level the series 2-2. Australia, however, didn’t lose much heart with the defeat since they had already retained the urn after their 4-0 win in 2017-18 and it was also for the first time in 18 years that they did not lose an Ashes on English soil. The feelings were hence, mixed.

The on-field competition was intense during the series with both sides producing some enthralling performances. There were instances when Jofra Archer smiled after knocking down Steve Smith with a bouncer or Smith allegedly mocking England tail-ender Jack Leach by sporting a pair of glasses. However, after the series got over, players from the opposite camps were seen sharing camaraderie and the mood was light.

Opponent players enjoy after demanding series comes to an end

In pictures that went viral on the social media, players from both the camps were seen enjoying at the Oval dressing room on Sunday evening. Even Smith was seen with Leach who came up with some dogged shows with the bat. His one not out in the second innings in the third match at Leeds is perhaps the most valuable solitary run scored in this series as, without that 76-run partnership with Ben Stokes, England would have been surely lost the series and embarrassed themselves right after winning the World Cup.

Apart from Smith who ended up with a staggering tally of 774 runs from four Tests in the series with three hundreds and Leach, David Warner and Jonny Bairstow were also seen spending quality time after the series got over. It was a big relief for both sides who have been playing non-stop cricket for some months now.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) shared a picture on Twitter in which Smith and Leach are seen smiling at the camera. And both the players were seen sporting the glasses. Smith had come under considerable criticism after celebrating wearing the glasses after the fourth Test at Old Trafford and one of the counties even shared a picture of the two saying Smith was one of the world’s greatest batsmen to mock the in-form Australian. The ECB also called Leach an “all-time great” in the picture while described the Australian just as Steve Smith.

Smith, who finished with an average of 110, conceded that he was “physically and mentally cooked” after four-and-half months of high-quality cricket in England that included the World Cup.

Here’s how Twitter reacted