[johnwales]

Eoin Morgan will not indicate to the spectators a request for them to stop booing Steve Smith and David Warner. Reminds me of Tony Greig claiming he was going to rub the West Indies into the mud. After the compassion shown by New Zealand cricketers towards the West Indies.

I personally believe this is a statement which brings the game into disrepute and I feel Morgan should be suspended for the Australia game. He will nevertheless be targeted by the Australian fast bowlers.

Smith and Warner both cheated, but they have served their sentence and should be allowed to play without childish behaviour from the stands and on the field.

[Vetchetarian]

The people who booed have presumably forgotten Michael Atherton's ball tampering.
I really don't like Morgan. Sadly, we share the same surname.

[johnwales]

Entirely agree with you Vetchetarian; M.A. as you say offended in the same way and basically walked free with a two or three game suspension. Eoian Morgan was born and bread in Dublin and I do wonder about the ethics of his selection as captain.

The question of cheating needs looking at more carefully. If a bowler oversteps the crease he is no balled and in some formats concedes a free hit. Yet if a batsman wanders out side the crease in backing up for a run, and the bowler stops and removes the bails, then the batsman id out; and the bowler heralded a villain. It is time for this 'gentleman's agreement' is quashed , as both these aspects of the game are a form of cheating.

[Vetchetarian]

The history of English cricket is littered with captain's who were born outside England. Tony Lewis (Wales), Mike Denness (Scotland), Tony Grieg (South Africa), Colin Cowdrey ( India ), et al, so nothing new, or necessarily wrong, with Morgan being Irish. I don't like him as a person.


" Cheating " is a tricky one. I think bowlers cheat when they, and their fellow teammates, polish the ball. Yet that seems to be fully acceptable.

[johnwales]

I must say that I was very disappointed at Joffrah Archer today as he stood laughing with his team mates after he had felled Steve Smith with a horrendous blow to the neck. At the time their were memories of what happened to Phil Hughes circulating; and it would have been appropriate for him to have shown more concern towards Steve Smith.

Also, the continuing booing aimed at Steve Smith is now getting a bit pathetic. Give it a rest; the guy showed great courage in resuming his innings after such an incident, and subsequently having to go to hospital to check on the possibility he had a broken arm.

[Vetchetarian]

I must say that I was very disappointed at Joffrah Archer today as he stood laughing with his team mates after he had felled Steve Smith with a horrendous blow to the neck. At the time their were memories of what happened to Phil Hughes circulating; and it would have been appropriate for him to have shown more concern towards Steve Smith.

Also, the continuing booing aimed at Steve Smith is now getting a bit pathetic. Give it a rest; the guy showed great courage in resuming his innings after such an incident, and subsequently having to go to hospital to check on the possibility he had a broken arm.

Your first paragraph indicates why I don't watch these matches any more. The game has gone downhill. I do miss the days when sportsmanship ruled, and players refrained from beating up strangers in the street. I simply cannot relate to the England cricket team anymore.

The constant booing IS pathetic, proving, to me anyway, that moronic behaviour isn't exclusive to those who follow football.

Smith is to be lauded for reappearing, and for continuing his amazing run of form.

Looking forward to another England collapse and an Aussie win, although time, and the weather, may well have the final word.

[johnwales]

Vetchatarian, I agree 100 % with every word of your post, and am elated to the fact that I am not alone in my feelings.

Another down grader with modern cricket is the fancy dress parades with people totally obstructing the views of those sitting behind; some of which must be a distraction to the players as well.

[hujon64]

I am delighted to read that others feel the same as me. Any true cricket fan would appreciate the ‘feats’ of a great cricketer like Steve Smith and applaud his tenacity and braveness. As for Archer, I am appalled at his behaviour and, no matter how well he performs for England today and over the years, I will not forget his disgraceful attitude.

[Vetchetarian]

I look forward to the Australian version of "The Archers ", starring the Aussie quicks, a bit later than the one being broadcast on Radio 4.

[notgoingoutreprise]

Does anybody think that if the roles were reversed and England went down under they would not get the same amount of abuse?

[johnwales]

Nicely said Hujohn64.

Over the last few years I have watched carefully a number of International sides in how they perform in sportsmanship mode. Identifying acts like applauding an opponents century, or some other creditable performance. India and New Zealand come top, and England a very dismal bottom. Australia are in the top half. England supporters are pathetic, many of whom spend most of the day at the bar.

[johnwales]

Good innings by Marnus Labuschagne; although I dispute the catch. In my view the ball was in contact with the ground; and I think Joe Root knew it as well.

Australia do have their problems though. If Steve Smith is concussed, he is unlikely to get a clearance to play next Thursday. If he fails to make the game then it will be a straight swap to Marnus Labuschagne. If Steve Smith does play then Marnus should still be selected, in place of either Matthew Wade or Tim Payne, both of whom are wicket keepers. Personally I would drop Tim Payne and make Steve Smith captain. A controversial choice I know, but Australia are going to need very special leadership if they are to win the series.

Amazingly I detected more booing this afternoon; and I got the impression it was aimed at Marnus Labuschagne. Have the idiots decided to abuse any one who bats in Steve Smiths place; can't believe it.

[hujon64]

Delighted for Labuschagne who, certainly, deserved his chance and seems to have the right unphased temperament to succeed. The Glamorgan management should take some credit for signing him and giving him the opportunity to impress the selectors in our conditions, although his success could mean no return to us in the future, unfortunately. Certainly did Glamorgan proud and made a valuable contribution to our push for 1st division. As for the booing, this is definitely not the cricket enthusiasts or genuine supporters who appreciate the finesse, tenacity and intricacies of the game.

[TWrex]

Good job England didn't have to bat in those poor conditions yesterday, they might have been in trouble. Keeping my fingers crossed they can pass Kent's 40 all out from Tuesday.

[TWrex]

Hooray the heights of 41 have been reached, ironically the vital run scored by Kent batsman. Where will it all lead, an embarrassing low score or a wonderful fightback? The joy of test cricket.