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blog:Silencing the Barmy Army would be crazy: Botham

Former England captain and star all-rounder Ian Botham has termed calls for silencing the Barmy Army as ridiculous and crazy.

In article for The Mirror, Botham questioned moves by the ECB to curb the chat of fans loyal to the England cricket team.

” It’s called home advantage. What do people expect from the crowd? They are England fans and it is fair to expect them to be with the home team and against the away team. That’s the same everywhere around the world.Each crowd has their own way of going about it. Telling the England fans to keep a lid on their songs and banter is like telling the Indian fans to keep it quiet when Sachin Tendulkar walks out to bat or hits a boundary,” said Botham.

While admitting that a few buffoons could over extend themselves in their raucous behavior, Botham said it was plain and simple rubbish to demand a “sterile atmosphere” on a ground where a Test match is on.