JOFRA BY A Boo boys should be ashamed

GIVEN the tragedy which befell Phillip Hughes it was no surprise that the immediate Australian reaction to the awful blow to Steve Smith’s neck was so raw and instinctive.

What was also unsurprising was that much of that outrage was directed at Jofra Archer for supposedly not showing a reasonable amount of concern after Smith was dropped with a sickening blow.

But if there was one reaction that was out of order yesterday it was the minority of morons who booed Smith from the field as he was walked off.

And you can add to them the significantly bigger minority who booed him back on when he showed great courage to return to the middle when the next wicket fell.

The debate over a fast bowler’s duty of care to the target of his venom will perhaps never be settled satisfactorily. And it is complex enough to excuse Archer.

For the record he did turn on his heel before returning towards Smith and receiving news that the batsman was at the very least conscious.

Yet the debate about whether Smith should have been booed for going back out into a second potential 90mph barrage after the first had left him fearing a broken arm and might well have killed him is clear cut.

Smith has

made

mistakes and the roots of the reaction of crowds after the sandpaper scandal in Cape Town last year run understandably deep.

But if he has been responsible for dragging cricket through the gutter he has also been responsible for elevating it to a higher plane.

For that and his courage yesterday in giving this crowd a memory to cherish, he should be applauded. Those who cannot bring themselves to do that can keep quiet.

on Steve Smith is hit

neck (above), and the lies on the deck after a delivery

(right)