On the other hand, drugs in sport is a thriving industry: both in detection and in beating detection.
Alcohol is on the losing team in this contest. The mood is changing towards alcohol, and the place to position the thin end of the wedge against its imbalance of evils against society, is on the sporting field.
This author is behind the times!

But of course cricket has to be faulted. It has been the sport of boys and men. Its sponsorship has to be taken away.

Feminist wowserism rules.

The real risks for alcohol abuse and other risk-taking in boys and men have to do with very simple deficiencies, such as:

- the lack of games and activities that allow them to take smaller controlled risks and stretch themselves. Feminist wowsers banned 'Boy Scout' games such as Red Rover in State primary schools. That was notwithstanding the fact that almost as many girls as boys played it.

- fatherless homes

- unemployment, or employment that has been so casualised that they are forever being required to re-apply for positions they have successfully performed and proved themselves in.

- the encouragement of binge drinking, which has a lot to do with

Cricket sponsorship, or that of any other sport, is no big deal.
It's the hiving off of perceived sporting status to a company who is prepared to pay for being associated with perceived gamesmanship prowess.

Perceived by whom?
By those who succumb to the age-old culture of boozing as a form of recreating a fantasy existence.

In cricket's case, they are merely substituting one brand of drug manufacturer for another, but forgetting the truism that 'he who pays the piper, calls the tune'.

The new temperest movement needs to read up on History.
To paraphrase an ex PM "I will not be lectured by The Royal Australasian College of Physicians on morality". A closed shop union if there ever was one!

“Cricket Australia, however, won't bite, suggesting that they will simply pick another alcohol sponsor.”

Yes, they have said that, and the obvious question is why? Why will they “simply pick another alcohol sponsor”? Alcohol is just one product among millions. Why can't Cricket Australia give thought to looking about for manufacturers of other products, ones that are not as controversial as alcohol clearly is? Are boozers in Cricket Australia getting free grog to continue plugging alcohol?

One doesn't have to be a wowser to see that promoting alcohol at sporting events is no better than pushing cigarettes, the advertising of which was banned long ago in the interests of encouraging the healthy life style that is associated with sport. There is nothing at all healthy about drinking alcohol, any more than there is is about smoking tobacco.

“ Australians like their sport, and their booze.” Not exactly. Some do and some don't. Studies have shown that Australians are no longer at the top of the big-boozing charts, if they ever were, and there are many, many Australians who are bored stiff by sport.

“Gone are the days when an Australian cricketer could boast, and be praised, for downing twenty cans of beer on a long-haul flight from Australia to Britain.” True – although that could be just that that is no longer acceptable to be bragging about your drinking exploits – but, isn't this all the more reason to dissociate alcohol with cricket and other sports?

Nobody would be any the worse off if there was no alcohol advertising, and many could find themselves much better off.

At least it,s only beer they push. Here it,s Hong thong Whisky at 8 am on any day of the week.