Fans urged to stop Smith boos

Britain’s sports minister has ripped into England fans, saying their booing of star Australian batsman Steve Smith was distasteful.

Speaking exclusively to The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, Nigel Adams said England fans should be cheering, not jeering at a batsman so mesmerising.

Smith, Cameron Bancroft and David Warner have all been booed during their appearances during the first and second Ashes test matches at Edgbaston and Lord’s.

A string of prominent cricketers and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison have rushed to defend Smith in particular, after the batsman was loudly booed by England fans at Lord’s when he returned to the pitch after being knocked to the ground by a searing delivery from paceman Jofra Archer that struck him in the neck.

Smith retired hurt suffering concussion, but resumed his innings 40 minutes later, eventually getting out lbw.

He is now in a race against time to be passed fit for the third test starting at Headingley tomorrow. The former captain needs to train in Leeds and then face the team’s back-up fast bowlers in the nets as well as pass concussion tests.

While the Australian Cape Town trio has been booed extensively during their British tour over the sandpaper scandal, the Lord’s booing of Smith has been widely condemned, including by Morrison who said it was a ‘‘total Ashes foul’’.

Adams said it was time for the booing to stop.

‘‘The vast majority of the Lord’s crowd were on their feet applauding Steve Smith after his innings but a small amount of booing from a tiny element of the crowd has made the news,’’ he said.

‘‘It’s distasteful and we have to remember that the Aussie players who got themselves into trouble have been punished and done the time.

‘‘Smith, in particular, is a brilliant batsman and whilst of course, I don’t want him getting too many runs while he’s over here, he’s mesmerising to watch and as genuine sports fans we should be applauding him, not jeering.’’

Adams, a cricket nut, is secretary of the Lords and Commons Cricket Club and is a Lord’s centurion, having scored 125 not out against the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) while captaining his side in 2014.

He was one of many prominent British and Australian politicians and figures to attend a reception for the Australian team at the Australian High Commission last week.

Morrison defended the former Australian skipper, saying he had handled the past year with a ‘‘real humility’’ and answered his critics with his performance, which included consecutive tons in the first test.

‘‘A draw for the second test but it was a total Ashes foul for the crowd at Lords to boo Steve Smith,’’ Morrison tweeted.

‘‘As genuine sports fans we should be applauding him, not jeering.’’ British sports minister Nigel Adams on Steve Smith