THIS IS A WOEFUL OWN GOAL BY THE BBC

NEVER, in the 145 years in which England have played Test cricket, had the national men’s team scored as many runs in the final innings to win, as they did last Tuesday against mighty India.

Naturally, I looked forward to hearing reflections on this historic achievement in the sports bulletins on the following morning’s Today programme on BBC Radio 4. But there was nothing. The entire 7.30am sports section was exclusively devoted to the women’s European football championship.

The 8.30am slot had another five minutes, no less, on the same event. But again, not a dickey about the triumph of an England cricket team that had also just beaten World Test Champions New Zealand 3-0. This had capped a remarkable revival under their new captain Ben Stokes; under the old management they had been victorious in only one of their previous 17 matches.

I realise that, having bought the rights to screen every one of the matches of the women’s euro-footy, the BBC wanted to justify its investment.

But I was even more astounded that on Thursday’s 9am news bulletin on Radio 4, just as it emerged that the Prime Minister had resigned, we were excitedly informed of the England women’s team victory in their first round the previous evening — a fact presumably known by any who might have been even remotely interested. The BBC is acting not as a balanced reporter of women’s football, weighing its significance and the public’s interest against other sports and events in the wider world, but as a fully invested promoter — to the extent of wildly distorting its news values.

The average attendance at matches in the top flight of the domestic women’s game (the WSL) is little more than 2,000, and for the Women’s Championship the figure is barely above 500. Admittedly, a record 69,000 attended the opening match of the European women’s championship. But with ticket prices of £5 for children and £10 for adults, they are almost being given away.

Just like the BBC’s reputation for balanced sports reporting.