Cooke, Wagg lift rebuilding Glamorgan

Derbyshire 8 for 0 trail Glamorgan 282 (Cooke 74, Wagg 62, Palladino 3-34, Footitt 3-61) by 274 runs
Scorecard

The final rounds of the season, with their earlier start times and lengthening shadows, are accompanied by a sense of proceedings drawing to a close. For those counties that are not involved in the intrigues of title-chasing, or promotion and relegation, regular watchers begin to look towards the future.

Certainly there was a sense of that at the Swalec Stadium, where Glamorgan were advertising tickets for the 2015 Ashes Test, which go on sale on Wednesday. The first season under new head coach, Toby Radford, and Hugh Morris, the former England managing director who now fills a duel role as chief executive and director of cricket at Glamorgan, has not been awash with success and the club sit second from bottom of Division Two, having not won since the halfway point of the campaign.

The shuffling of squads has also begun around the counties, as contracts are examined and budgets calculated. Glamorgan have had two frontline bowlers, Huw Waters and John Glover, retire in recent weeks and a third, the hulking seamer Mike Reed, picked for the England Performance Programme over the winter, is expected to leave after turning down a new contract.

Still, the weather was such that sitting in the stands felt like being on the Costa del Cardiff and there was talk of a bright new spinning talent, "the best since Croftie", coming through the ranks. Kieran Bull, 19 years old and from Haverfordwest, took 4 for 62 on first-class debut last week - which leaves him a small matter of 1171 behind Robert Croft, who retired two summers ago but remains a passionate promoter of Welsh cricket.

There may have been disgruntlement at the performance of Glamorgan's batsmen, although half-centuries for Chris Cooke and Graham Wagg gave their first-innings 282 a veneer of respectability and the visiting attack performed manfully on a pristine-looking pitch.

Derbyshire have won their last three Championship fixtures - not to mention their last five against Glamorgan - and still have a mathematical, albeit faint, chance of promotion. Their season has been reinvigorated since an exodus of their own midway through and, if an immediate return to Division One looks unlikely, their supporters too can dream of bigger things next year.

Glamorgan had chosen to bat first on a beautiful September day, the pitch an inviting, oatmeal-coloured strip in a sea of green. Derbyshire fielded their new overseas signing, the India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara, and while he has been given dispensation by the BCCI to play county cricket in order to improve his game against the moving ball, there did not look to be much assistance for the seamers early on.

Cardiff can be slow and low and Pujara, when he does bat, may not feel all that far from the surfaces he has been brought up on playing for Saurashtra. Here, wearing the 'baggy blue' of Derbyshire, he ran around gamely in the field, joining his team-mates in the huddle at the fall of a wicket, clapping encouragement and occasionally shining the ball. At least, with the sun shining and leather to chase, he did not need to pull on a sweater.

Tony Palladino trapped Jacques Rudolph lbw at the end of his fourth consecutive maiden but Derbyshire turned to the spin of Wes Durston after little more than an hour. They were rewarded for their perseverance with two more wickets before lunch and when Mark Footitt, whose venomous pace transcended the conditions, removed Mark Wallace for this second wicket to leave Glamorgan on 158 for 6 during the afternoon, it looked as if the hosts would fall well below par.

A 91-run stand between Cooke and Wagg, both of whom scored centuries in Glamorgan's previous match, was worth a couple of batting points before Footitt wrapped up the innings with his 65th first-class wicket of the season - taking him above Saeed Ajmal as the most penetrative bowler in the country. He can enjoy today. Pujara may enjoy tomorrow.

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Bangladesh pay for confused strategy

The team management's decision to field first on a flat pitch, despite having only three specialist bowlers, meant Bangladesh were chasing the game right from the start

Mushfiqur Rahim did what he set out to do as a batsman in the first Test. He was dismissed only once, after completing his century and in an attempt to extend a futile lead. He was the unbeaten batsman during Bangladesh's first innings debacle, and showed little difficulty in dealing with pace or spin.

As a captain, though, things did not go as planned, and West Indies wrapped up a comfortable 10-wicket win. Bangladesh came into the game with the stated aim of drawing it, but their chances of doing so seemed to shrink as soon as Mushfiqur elected to field first.

Having eight batsmen in their line-up should have been enough reason to bat first after winning the toss. Still, the pitch is always to be considered ahead of a five-day game and Bangladesh's first priority in Test matches is usually to stay in the game for the first couple of days at least. At the toss, Mushfiqur explained his decision to field saying there would be some help for the seamers for a few hours, and that batting would be easiest on the second and third days.

As it turned out in this Test match, the first-day freshness in the Arnos Vale pitch did not mean excessive moisture. It was merely a slow pitch that was at its quickest on the first morning. Mushfiqur's prediction that batting would be easier on the second day was correct, but then West Indies only lost three wickets on the first; Kraigg Brathwaite and Shivnarine Chanderpaul batted through the truncated second day. West Indies lost four wickets on the third morning, but by then they were trying to increase the run-rate.

Even if there was some help for the bowlers early on, Mushfiqur did not possess the resources to exploit it, having chosen only three specialist bowlers. Bangladesh chose a Test debutant in the left-arm spinner Taijul Islam; Al-Amin Hossain, who was playing his fourth Test; and Rubel Hossain, who has struggled to take wickets in Tests and has an average to show for it.

Upon returning to Bangladesh after completing the three ODIs and the abandoned T20, Mashrafe said that pitches in the West Indies were just like those back home. "Wickets in West Indies are not what they used to be," he said. "Now they are slow wickets which help spinners and are good for batting."

Mushfiqur would have known this too, this being his fourth West Indies tour. But senior batsmen like Tamim Iqbal, Nasir Hossain and Mahmudullah had been out of form while Shamsur Rahman and Imrul Kayes hadn't done well in the preceding ODI series. Shuvagata Hom was a newcomer. The team management, therefore, may have been looking to protect them on the first day.

Mushfiqur said the gap between Bangladesh's last Test and this one had a role to play in their first-innings debacle, when they were shot out for 182, but he wasn't impressed with his batsmen's approach.

"It wasn't easy to bat in Test cricket after six months so I would say that our batsmen perhaps fell while trying to get quick runs," he said. "To be honest, the wicket was really good. Our application wasn't right in the first innings. The result would have been different if we applied ourselves in the first innings. We should show similar guts [to the second-innings performance] in St Lucia."

Having failed to secure the draw that both Mushfiqur and coach Chandika Hathurusingha had targeted, Bangladesh will have to alter their goals substantially ahead of the second Test in St. Lucia.

When Ian Bishop asked him at the post-match presentation ceremony whether he would persist with the eight-batsmen strategy, Mushfiqur stressed the need for batting cover in the absence of Shakib Al Hasan. So that would mean, for now at least, that Bangladesh are likely to go into the second Test with the bowling attack similarly understaffed.

Even in the press conference following the presentation, Mushfiqur said he wanted his batsmen to score enough to ensure a draw. "If we can get 600 runs, it should help us draw the game."

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Du Preez sets up South Africa win

South Africa Women 161 for 5 (du Preez 69, Chetty 53) beat Ireland Women 115 for 8 (Luus 4-21, Khaka 4-23) by 46 runs
Scorecard

South Africa made it two handsome wins in a day against Ireland as they secured a 46-run success on the back of Mignon du Preez's 69 followed by four wickets apiece for Ayabonga Khaka and Suné Luus.

As in the first game of the day, South Africa made a far from ideal start as they lost Lizelle Lee to the second ball of the match, but the third-wicket stand of 103 between du Preez and Trisha Chetty, the latter who contributed 53 off 47 balls, ensured they would be out of reach.

Du Preez's innings, which included 12 fours and a six, was South Africa's third highest individual score in a T20 while the partnership with Chetty was their third best.

In reply, Ireland were three down inside the Powerplay against Khaka and the target became trying to bat out their 20 overs. They achieved that with Clare Shillington making a run-a-ball 31 before she was the first of the scalps for Luus' legspin. Khaka and Luus became the second and third South Africa bowlers to take four wickets in a T20 after Marizanne Kapp.

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Hope boos 'never happen again' - Moeen

Moeen Ali has admitted he was surprised by the level of abuse from the Edgbaston crowd on Sunday and hopes it "never happens again" but reiterated his desire not to make more of the issue.

Moeen was able to enjoy the more relaxed surroundings of New Road on Tuesday, but the events of the weekend continued to swirl around after the PCA chief executive, Angus Porter, was forced to respond to earlier comments about the booing that seemingly downplayed the issue of racism while yesterday Moeen's father had called the abuse "disgraceful".

"Sunday's gone now and I don't really think about it. Hopefully it'll never happen again," Moeen said after making 54 against Surrey. "A small group just booed and then more people jumped on the bandwagon a little bit it built up from there. I would prefer that people were cheering rather than booing us but it doesn't bother me one bit."

"I just tried to do the best I could for the team and I wasn't too fussed to be honest with you. I expected it a little bit, but not as much as it was. It's one of those things and hopefully it won't be as bad. [Hopefully] it'll slowly die down and you will see the same guys supporting England.

Throughout his first season in the national side Moeen has spoken about wanting to be seen as a role-model for young British Asians and his desire to see more of them supporting England, which is being suggested as one of the triggers for the vocal reaction from the crowds in Birmingham.

"I do not care really," he said. "I do not know the reason for it. I do not want to cause controversy and say too much, I just want to get over it and I just look forward to playing again for England."

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Morgan stokes fires of imagination

The Edgbaston T20 reinforced Eoin Morgan's credentials as the fulcrum of England's limited-overs cricket. Approaching his peak, is it time they made him their World Cup captain as well?

Butcher: A difficult summer to assess

So was that it then? A fleeting sight of Eoin Morgan as the fulcrum of an England limited-overs side. An England captain basking in a Twenty20 win against India that he did so much to achieve. A batsman finally back at peace with his game. Now all to be forgotten as the sun goes back behind the clouds which have gathered around England's World Cup challenge.

Even allowing for the growing hold of T20, England's NatWest T20 against India at Edgbaston on Sunday was an irrelevance. But what an irrelevance: a final ball that MS Dhoni failed to hit for six to pull off a win for India, and instead delight for England and Morgan, whose 71 from 31 balls had made the difference.

Morgan has had a troubled summer. His attempt to force his way into the Test side was stillborn and his returns in 50-over cricket have been so mediocre that his place was briefly held to be in jeopardy. When discussions take place about an alternative England ODI captain to Alastair Cook, Joe Root has begun to gain just as much attention.

But finally this was Morgan at his finest, a batsman blessed with sharp tactical thinking, fast bat speed and unorthodoxy, who stated that England limited-overs batsmen can relish the need to play risk-free cricket. And predictably, overly influenced perhaps by that final over, his captaincy gained nods of approval.

And now, it is over. Fun while it lasted. But as an example of how low T20 is on everybody's list of priorities, George Bailey has just resigned as Australia's captain to concentrate on the World Cup. So well done, Eoin. You have just impressed in a match already consigned to the tray market Irrelevant.

But perhaps that pessimistic conclusion is a little premature. Even before this game there were signs that one or two England selectors were no longer slavishly wedded to Cook's presence in the one-day side, presumably recognising that for all his qualities he had not played one domineering innings all summer.

If a shift is to be made ahead of the World Cup, it has to happen now. But Peter Moores, England's coach, still sounds loyal to Cook's captaincy of both the Test and ODI sides and Paul Downton, England's managing director, whose "observer" status at selection meetings gives him a greater influence on selection than that held by his predecessor Hugh Morris, has wedded himself repeatedly to Cook's captaincy.

That leaves Morgan to rub along. You have to go back to Sydney in January to discover his last ODI fifty, 12 matches since then without a memorable contribution. The excuse that England's top-order caution had not left him with enough time to influence a game eventually gave way this summer to a recognition that he was simply out of form.

"I've worked incredibly hard this year on my game, and I have been light on runs," Morgan said. "I can't pinpoint exactly where it's going wrong."

Critics might wonder whether Morgan has become so wedded to T20 cricket that he is having to suppress a creeping disenchantment with ODIs, especially bilateral series. In that he would not be alone. But he might also be out of kilter with England's strategy for winning one-day matches, with all the talk of setting up the game with centuries in the top four before Morgan's batting elixir turns a moderate total into an unbeatable one.

For a clue as to what the England public thinks, an impromptu poll by Michael Vaughan on Twitter is worth recording. Vaughan invited his sizeable following to respond on whether they favoured a Morgan captaincy of England's ODI side. By an overwhelming majority, they did.

When it comes to limited-overs cricket, Morgan is in with the 'in' crowd, he knows the latest dance. But when he understandably lauded the positive influence of the IPL on his career, it again made him sound a bit of an outsider in a country where England's greatest IPL advocate, a certain Kevin Pietersen, just happens to have become an outcast.

"I thought wonders of my experience of the IPL," Morgan said, a response to Ian Botham's advocacy in his MCC Spirit of Cricket speech that it should cease to exist because it is damaging the game. "It made me a more skilful player both in Twenty20 and 50-over cricket. The experience of watching the very best go about their business is huge, so I'm a massive fan."

Morgan remarked after the Edgbaston victory that it had been good for England to experiment. He was referring to examples such as Jason Roy's debut as an opening batsman, the most irrepressible talent in domestic cricket given his chance.

But the experiment that mattered was the one he could not discuss. It was Eoin Morgan as an England cricket captain. A potential England World Cup captain, approaching his peak, a few days before his 28th birthday. When England's selection panel convenes to discuss a mediocre ODI summer, they must place loyalty to Cook against a gamble on Morgan. If Morgan's time does not come in this World Cup, perhaps it never will.

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Shastri backs Fletcher's skills as coach

Ravi Shastri, who was appointed India's team director in the wake of the 3-1 defeat in the Test series in England, said he was proud of how the team bounced back to claim the ODIs by the same margin.

Reviewing his role and India's limited-overs performance, Shastri also credited the support staff, including head coach Duncan Fletcher, whose future has been hotly debated in light of India suffering a second successive Test series loss in England under his watch.

"I got more than I would have expected," Shastri said. "I say that only because England's record at home, not many sides have thrashed them 3-1 in a four-match ODI series. It is a big achievement, from what they were mentally after the Test series defeat, and then, to respond in that fashion made me feel proud."

Despite his abrupt appointment, senior players like MS Dhoni, the India captain, and Suresh Raina said Shastri's positive mind-set played a crucial role in keeping the dressing room upbeat during the ODI series.

Shastri was quite visible during the training sessions as he ran around the ground overseeing the players' drills and would pass on his observations during private chats. "I had a plenty of one-on-one chats," he said. "Not sessions. I was not afraid to speak to a guy individually. Ground, bus, bar, dressing room, while eating, we were talking cricket."

Shastri had made it clear that he would oversee everything during the ODI series and everyone would report to him, including Fletcher and Dhoni. That had raised further questions on Fletcher's future but Sanjay Patel, the BCCI secretary, had told ESPNcricinfo that nothing had been decided on the matter. Some board officials, though, believed Fletcher's job was hanging in the balance and Shastri's report on the ODI series might prove the difference.

"Fletcher is the coach," Shastri said. "He looks over the handling of various things including little, little stuff. He is tremendous. He would have done over a 100 Tests as a coach, which is massive. He is very good. He is technically very sound. He is a solid character. He is respected. He is a fatherly figure. Let the media say what they want. I have told you what I thought of Fletcher. I will go back and speak with the BCCI."

Shastri was also impressed by the trio of Sanjay Bangar, B Arun and R Sridhar, who were brought in as part of the coaching staff at his request. "All three of them have done an excellent job in the short period they have been given. I have to go back and sit with the BCCI to discuss what will happen in the long term."

Shastri, however, was non-committal when asked if he would be open to a similar role in a tournament like the World Cup. "My job was to be with the team for the ODI series. They have won it. I want to let that sink. I will return to India and then think about the future."

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Young's debut five-for sets up victory

Ireland 173 for 3 (O'Brien 56*) beat Scotland 172 (Leask 50, Young 5-46) by seven wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

The fine margins between success and failure in sport, and cricket in particular, are often defined by the tenacity to grasp an opportunity when one comes about. Certainly Craig Young, the fast bowler released by Sussex twelve months ago, chose a good moment to become just the ninth player to take a five-wicket haul on ODI debut as he stole a march in the race to make the plane for Australia and New Zealand.

Young's growth into a new-ball bowler with an uncomplicated action is timely for Phil Simmons and the Ireland selectors, five months out from the start of the World Cup. Boyd Rankin's decision to decamp and the retirement of Trent Johnston had left Ireland's fast-bowling ranks drained, the latter's shoes, in particular, proving too big to fill. Now, Ireland have a genuine heir apparent.

A spate of injuries and fluctuating form had threatened Young's undoubted potential - Sussex certainly thought so - but when it would have been easy to lose heart, the 24-year-old went away and returned to basics. An intense winter spent in Australia under the tutelage of Craig McDermott is reaping dividends. Figures of 5 for 46 were the eighth best return for a debutant in ODIs.

A hostile spell, during which he extracted considerable movement and bounce, broke the back of Scotland as the visitors lost wickets at regular intervals despite run-scoring proving easier than the mid-September conditions may have suggested. Michael Leask's maiden fifty apart, none of Grant Bradburn's top order were able to show the application required to build a foundation upon which their bowlers could mount an attack; the absence of Kyle Coetzer and Matt Machan was certainly felt.

Yet, this was by no means Ireland's strongest hand either. George Dockrell would have hoped to get some overs under his belt after falling out of favour at Somerset but was forced to fulfil 12th man duties because of a niggling shoulder injury. The difference between the sides lies in the strength in depth. Andy McBrine, deployed as the frontline spinner, belied his relative inexperience to apply a stranglehold in the middle overs and did his chances of World Cup inclusion no harm with two wickets.

For a long-standing rivalry reputedly fraught with neighbourly hostility, there has been much friction between the two sides of late. Scotland have now lost all four of their ODIs on Irish soil and 11 of their last 12 limited-overs meetings. While a humbling seven-wicket reversal did little to instil confidence ahead of a busy period of World Cup preliminaries, Ireland were, as is so often the case, ruthlessly efficient.

An unbeaten half-century from Kevin O'Brien underpinned a leisurely chase as the Irish batsmen negated the early movement to quash any hope Scotland had of exposing an inexperienced middle order. O'Brien passed the landmark of 2000 ODI runs with an innings of consummate quality that underlined his importance to Ireland's cause come February. In putting on an undefeated stand of 80 with Stuart Thompson, he ensured Ireland coasted to victory with 14 overs to spare.

The limelight was not to be taken away from Young though. A nervy start was punished by Calum MacLeod, who hinted at the form that has seen him make an impression at Durham this summer with a couple of crisp strokes through the off side, but Young returned a couple of overs later to settle into his rhythm.

Tall and well-built, he approaches the crease with a sense of purpose and seemed to catch both Hamish Gardiner and Preston Mommsen unaware with deliveries that got on to them a lot quicker than expected. Mommsen was left particularly bemused as a sharp delivery that pitched on middle, swung and then nipped away, managed to pierce his defences and clip the top of off stump.

Leask provided some temporary resistance. On just his fourth ODI appearance, the 23-year-old showed maturity beyond his years to add a sense of stability to an otherwise abject Scottish batting display that was on the brink of submersion at 101 for 7 when Freddie Coleman was strangled down the leg side by Thompson's first delivery. A 54-run partnership between Leask and Safyaan Sharif halted Ireland's charge and added a semblance of respectability to Scotland's effort. It was too little, too late though. It was fitting that Young returned to round off proceedings and complete his five-wicket haul to cap a performance that will surely see his name pencilled into Simmons' World Cup squad.

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BCCI mulls using observers in home series

The BCCI is set to extend the practice of intermittently appointing observers with the Indian team on overseas tours, for home series as well.

The role of the observer is not defined with reference to its function and its difference from the role of the manager on tour, who is also a representative of the board. This development also comes when the BCCI has kept national selectors from touring with the team.

When asked if the proposed move of appointing an observer for home series was aimed at pleasing voters, a top BCCI official replied in the negative and added that the board believed the "suggestions and presence" of the observers had helped the team management on the tour of England.

The board had sent three member representatives as observers - Vishal Marwaha, the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association secretary, Kapil Malhotra, Cricket Club of India's vice-president and Ravi Jain, Delhi and District Cricket Association's media cell chief - with the team at various stages of the tour.

The BCCI has managed to push for more home games in the next eight-year FTP cycle, which will start after the 2015 World Cup. Over the last decade, the BCCI has preferred not to have a team manager for home games, except from July 2010 to the 2011 World Cup when Ranjib Biswal was appointed. Usually the liaison manager and the logistics manager take care of administrative functions for the team.

The appointment of an observer for overseas tours was only selectively used by various BCCI heads, starting with the Sahara Cup in Toronto in 1997. And the appointment of three observers in England, "all of whom are from demanding or influential members," according to a former BCCI office bearer, came with board elections around the corner.

The HPCA is headed by Anurag Thakur, the BCCI joint secretary and also a leader of the youth wing of India's ruling political party. Jain is a close ally of Arun Jaitley, a union minister who also controls the DDCA. And the CCI is widely believed to be the lone supporter, among the West Zone members, of sidelined BCCI president N Srinivasan who hopes to be re-elected.

Along with the observers staying in the team hotel, it is understood they were also being paid the same daily allowance as the cricketers.

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Moeen abuse shows cricket's dark side

The booing of Moeen Ali at Edgbaston revealed the ugly side of sporting rivalry and suggested intolerance remains in the UK. It should not be ignored

Dobell: Moeen boos detract from spectacle

It should have been the perfect end to an absorbing summer of international cricket. We had beautiful weather. We had a sell-out crowd. We had a run-soaked T20 that contained outrageous skills and an exciting finish.

We should have gone home talking about MS Dhoni's decision to turn down singles in the final over. His self-confidence and his preparedness to take responsibility for the team. Or, perhaps, his lack of confidence in his team-mates.

We should have gone home talking about Virat Kohli's only half-century of the tour in international cricket - the same number as James Anderson - or Eoin Morgan's brilliant innings. The England captain, so short of runs in international cricket this summer, helped England thrash 81 from the final five overs of their innings and scored 56 in the 15 balls before his dismissal. We might even have witnessed the birth of a new-look England side for both forms of the limited-overs game.

Either way, this should have been a brilliant advert for cricket. But instead there was a sour end to the summer. An unsettling end. An end that suggested, for all the progress we think we have made in creating a multicultural society in the UK, we have a long way to go.

Because, in the middle of Birmingham on a bright afternoon in 2014, we saw at least one player subjected to abuse from a far from insubstantial section of the crowd on the basis of either his religion or his national or ethnic origin.

Moeen Ali was booed when he came out to bat. He was booed when he came on to bowl. He was booed most times he touched the ball. And he was booed either because he is a player of Asian origin playing for England - Ravi Bopara also attracted some boos, though far fewer - because he is Muslim or, perhaps most pertinently, because he is of Pakistani origin and the vast majority of the crowd were India supporters.

On the back of every ticket and inside every match programme it states: "Spectators shall not engage in any conduct, act towards or speak to any player, umpire, referee or other official or other spectators in a manner which offends, insults, humiliates, intimidates, threatens, disparages or vilifies that other person on the basis of that other person's race, religion, colour, national or ethnic origin."

By such a definition, it is impossible to justify these boos. It is inappropriate to dismiss them as "banter" - an invidious description used to excuse sexism, homophobia, bullying and racism in many walks of life - and it is inappropriate to dismiss them as a symptom of any rivalry that exists between Pakistan and India.

Nor should we link this with the booing experienced by Stuart Broad in Australia and James Anderson and Ravi Jadeja this summer. Those jeers, unappealing though they were, do not stem from a dislike of origin or religion. They reflected specific issues.

Nor should we fool ourselves that these are pantomime boos. Just as the monkey chants that used to shame football grounds in the UK were unacceptable, so it must be unacceptable to hear a player derided for their religion or origin. It is not funny.

And let us not mistake this issue with any pretence that this is simply a manifestation of support for India. Spectators are free to support whichever side they like and the passion for cricket from spectators of Asian origin in the UK is of huge benefit to the game. But there is a chasm between supporting one side and denigrating the players of the opposition. It would be irresponsible to link the two.

What, it might be asked, would be the reaction if an all-white crowd booed a player of Asian origin? What would be the implications if a black player was booed each time he touched the ball? If such behaviours are deemed unacceptable - and, thankfully, in this day and age, they are - why should the booing of a man on the basis of his religion or origin be any different?

Moeen was born in Birmingham and he graduated through Warwickshire's youth system. He has a mixed-heritage family with a white grandmother from the Birmingham area. His religion or ethnicity should not be issues and he has previously said that such behaviour does not affect him.

But there is an irony that Moeen has spoken of being a role model. He has spoken of showing that it is possible to be British, Muslim and proud of both. He has spoken of encouraging other Asian cricketers into mainstream league and club cricket in the UK. He has, despite his relative youth and inexperience, spoken only of inclusivity and unity. He makes an unlikely villain.

The episode proved difficult for the ground authorities to handle. Had the stewards started to eject those involved, the situation could have deteriorated. Had Morgan, who denied any knowledge of the booing, led his team from the pitch, the situation could have deteriorated.

But just because a situation is difficult, it does not mean it should be avoided. This sort of episode should not happen. It must not happen. And if we find it unacceptable - and we really should - we must not ignore it. Whatever the many mistakes of the past, 21st century Britain cannot be accepting of intolerance based around race, religion, colour, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation or any other such issue.

Cricket can unite. In Afghanistan and the Caribbean and LA and Ireland, it has been shown to bring people from differing backgrounds together. It does it in league teams around the country every week. Here it provided a peek behind the façade of multicultural Britain. It was an ugly, depressing sight. And it should not be ignored.

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Finch named Australia's T20 captain

Aaron Finch has been named as Australia's new Twenty20 captain, succeeding George Bailey, who stepped down from the role on Sunday. Finch, 27, will become the seventh man to lead Australia's T20 team when they take on Pakistan in a one-off match in Dubai on October 5.

As captain of the Melbourne Renegades for the past two Big Bash League campaigns, Finch has acquired plenty of T20 captaincy experience, and he has also led the Pune Warriors in the IPL. The No.1-ranked T20 international batsman in the world, Finch also led Australia A against the England Lions last year and the selectors were pleased with his performance.

"When George indicated that he was stepping down from the position, we thought Aaron was the obvious choice to succeed him," Rod Marsh, the national selector, said. "We know he will relish the opportunity to lead his country.

"He has a task ahead of him. He is taking on a young side that is currently ranked fifth in the world. His first challenge will be building consistent performances as they head towards the ICC World Twenty20 in 2016."

On Sunday, Bailey endorsed Finch as a potential successor, describing him as the kind of player who thrives on the leadership. Finch said he was looking forward to leading his country for the first time.

"Having the honour to captain your country in any form of the game is something that all young cricketers dream about," Finch said. "It came as a big surprise but it was a very nice phone call to receive from Rod Marsh. I never imagined when captaining in the past that it would lead to national responsibilities.

"I've just set out to be the best player that I can and luckily an opportunity like this has come my way. I have been fortunate enough to play under some fantastic captains, including Michael Clarke and George Bailey and I have learnt a lot from them. It goes without saying that I will do my utmost in this role as we lead into the ICC World T20 in about eighteen months' time. It's going to be very exciting."

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