Letter: Cultural bias and cricket tourists

Sir: Apropos Mihir Bose's apt piece (24 February) about the culture shock of the Indian sub-continent on the English cricket team, I happened to be there during most of the three Test matches and could not but sympathise with Indian glee at the discomfiture and humiliation of such graceless, excuse-laden tourists.

At a time when the British public has for its sporting icons gross Gazza, lugubrious Gooch and whingeing Mansell to epitomise our current national ethos, the most telling pointer to the Essex man sensibilities of the English cricketers was not their inability to read spin or eat prudently, but the fact that, when offered a relatively short, comfortable trip to visit the Taj Mahal, only one of them availed himself of the opportunity. The rest preferred to remain in their luxury hotel, presumably to broaden their horizons by doing 50 press-ups and snacking on Chinese prawns.

Yours faithfully,

DAVID J. GOLDBERG

London, NW5