Fans 'doing their bit'?

Australian supporters - the Fanatics - have confessed to having set off the fire alarm in England's team hotel on the opening day of the Headingley Test. The players got out of the hotel at 4am and had to wait 20 minutes before firemen would let them back in. In the morning England were bowled out for 102. Though one does not necessarily lead to the other, the Fanatics claimed they had done their bit for Australia. Is that the new role that fans have appropriated for themselves, Suresh Menon asks on dreamcricket.com.

Is everything fair game – from fraudulent messages that cause players mental agony to blackmail to threat of physical violence? All in the name of “doing their bit” for the team? Just ahead of a Ranji Trophy match years ago, some “fans” attempted to beat up Tamil Nadu’s star all rounder Robin Singh to prevent him from playing. But he escaped, and although shaken played the match. Is that the direction in which fandom is heading?