1) The problem of homophobia in cricket didn’t begin with Shannon Gabriel, and it didn’t end with him either. Let’s get this part out of the way first. It’s right that Gabriel has been banned for four matches for his comments to Joe Root during the third Test. It’s right that he’s admitted he was in the wrong. But spare us the pageantry and the triumphalism. Spare us the white knights of the (overwhelmingly) white media with space and airtime to fill, who suddenly seem extremely concerned about homophobia while happy to publish articles headlined “Please don’t pretend two dads is the new normal”. Root did an enlightened and commendable thing when it would have been both easier and forgivable simply to ignore the comment and concentrate on his batting. It was nice of him, and hopefully some good comes of it. But let’s not go overboard. This wasn’t some seismic monument in the fight against homophobic prejudice. Root hasn’t just avenged the memories of Alan Turing and Justin Fashanu, as one particularly overwrought columnist suggested this week. If this is where we’re setting the bar for personal heroism, then we’re going to be overrun with heroes. We’ll tell you…