When our reporter called out double standards in sport, the response was startling

Jonathan Agnew has been reprimanded by the BBC after his sweary tirade at The Independent’s chief sports writer

When an individual reacts to a good piece of journalism by dropping the “C-bomb”, you can assume you have hit a nerve. When that person happens to be one of the nation’s best-known sports broadcasters, the fallout can be significant.

Just over a week ago, The Independent’s chief sports writer, Jonathan Liew, wrote a fine column about the response to Jofra Archer’s selection in the England squad to face Pakistan in a series of one-day cricket matches. In particular, he called attention to the expressions of anxiety in some quarters that picking Archer risked upsetting the “culture” of the team, or its morale ahead of this summer’s World Cup.

This concern appeared to be premised on Archer being selected immediately on becoming eligible for England, having been born and raised in Barbados. But, as Liew noted, plenty of other foreign-born players have been picked for England soon after completing their qualification period. The selection of these white players had not been greeted in the same way.