England win BBC Team award

England's cricketers have capped an Ashes-winning year by being named as Team of the Year in the 2009 BBC Sports Personality Awards.

"It is a truly great honour," said England's captain, Andrew Strauss, who was one of ten sportspeople nominated for the individual award, which was won by the Manchester United footballer, Ryan Giggs.

"It has been a long and arduous 12 months with 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."

England's year began in extraordinarily acrimonious circumstances, with relevations on New Year's Eve of the falling-out between the then-captain Kevin Pietersen and the former coach, Peter Moores, which culminated in the removal of both men from office. England went on to lose their first Test of the year by an innings in Jamaica after being bowled out for 51, amid reports of rifts and factions within the camp.

But thanks to Strauss's calm leadership, and aided behind the scenes by the unperturbable coach, Andy Flower, who was himself pipped by Fabio Capello for the BBC's Coach of the Year award, England regrouped, first by beating West Indies in a one-sided Test and ODI series at home, and then by overcoming Australia in a closely fought Ashes campaign. They have since gone on to beat South Africa for the first time in an away ODI series.

England's cricketers were last voted as Team of the Year back in 2005, when Andrew Flintoff captured the outright title for his starring role in that summer's Ashes campaign.