Stop booing Steve Smith – he’s a hero

During the World Cup (remember that?), Virat Kohli, the very model of a modern major cricketer, appealed to Indian fans not to boo the returned Australian players. It would be nice to think that Joe Root might call for something similar over the next few days from the increasingly egregious English supporters. Current boo-boy tactics haven’t worked particularly well so far. Part of the problem has been the sanctification of Edgbaston as if it was the cricketing equivalent of Notre Dame. Now the sight of a lot of pissed-up Brummies dressed as parrots and chanting ‘Championes, championes…’ seems to be England’s contribution to the summer game. Besides anything else, the swing into cricket of practically mind-dead football chanting is just depressing, no?

So squads of current and former English players smiling wryly and talking of ‘Fortress Edgbaston’ on the eve of the first Ashes Test seems to have had the opposite effect of that intended.