The crowd problems seen in Australia this summer have rightly caused concern. although some feedback to Cricinfo has insisted that no more than a handful of people are to blame. But the Sydney Morning Herald carries an account of a day at the SCG from an average punter which suggests that the problem is more widespread:

"Blokes were bringing grog in. Because of the new regulations, a lot must have filled up before the match. It's the only explanation for their state. We were about 10 rows back. A few rows in front there was a bunch of about 10 20-year-olds mouthing off. Most of them were drunk as skunks."

And general abuse then became racist as the drunks turned their attention to the Sri Lankan fielders:

"These youths kept calling them names, taunting them, trying to get a rise out of them but they didn't take any notice. It was a constant bombardment. The language was dreadful."

But there seems to have been little done to try to stop them, until a couple of spectators decided they had had enough:

"[They] tried to settle them down. One 60-year-old bloke told them to pipe down so they turned on him and abused him. That stopped others in their tracks."

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