Must take abuse seriously

The head of the Professional Cricketers’ Association has said sorry for suggesting that England's Moeen Ali should take the abuse from India supporters at the weekend as a positive.

Angus Porter, the chief executive of the PCA, admitted that his attempt to play down the incident at Edgbaston on Sunday only inflamed it further.

In an interview on Tuesday with the Press Association, Porter said it was better for Moeen to be booed than ignored.

“There is an element of taking it as a compliment. You are more likely to boo someone when you think they are someone to be feared. Take it as as a positive, you’d rather be booed than ignored,” he said.

But Porter quickly apologised for causing any offence. “I made a mistake by suggesting racism does not matter and I do condemn it unreservedly. I started by saying that in the interview but I also tried to play down the situation because Moeen does not want it to become a major issue. But in trying to play it down I succeeded in doing the reverse and I am sorry.

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