Thank you so much. It is an extraordinary honour on behalf of the Government and I’m confident, all the people of our country to congratulate this champion team and this team of champions.
In our country summer means cricket. A good summer is Australia versus England and a great summer is one where Australia beats England and didn’t we whip them in this particular series?
The Ashes are the world’s oldest, continuous sporting contest. They are proof that the greatest of friendships can coexist with the fiercest of competitions and I just want to say to all of our players – thank you for making every one of us so proud this summer, and thank you for showing the grit and the character which you displayed this summer.
I want to pay tribute to every one of you, but I’ve got to mention Mitchell Johnson – the Man of the Series, Brad Haddin and Chris Rogers – the batsmen who never let us down, Michael Clarke – the Captain courageous and of course Darren Lehmann and Craig McDermott – the coaches who had faith in the players
You made the improbable achievable. You were the Improbables because no one expected you to win. You’ve been the Unchangeables – the first team in a hundred years to be unchanged through a whole series – and we want you to become the Invincibles by going on to beat South Africa.
That’s your challenge and as it’s pretty obvious we are all willing you to succeed. Congratulations, thank you and go from strength to strength.
[ends]