He stood, a little self-consciously, as the Old Trafford crowd rose to him, before eventually giving a thumbs-up to his captain and lifting a hand in acknowledgment of the warm and prolonged ovation.

FANS OF EVERY sport claim their passion is more than a game, but few argue it has an edifying social role. “Cricket? It civilises people,” purred Robert Mugabe, then Zimbabwe’s dictator, as he sought ...