CHRIS HEWETT
GUEST COLUMNIST

The sagacious lexicographer Dr Johnson – we’re talking Samuel here, not Martin – famously caused a ruckus by describing patriotism as “the last refuge of a scoundrel”. The argument over his precise meaning has been ongoing for two and a half centuries, which is almost as long as a Test now lasts in the southern hemisphere.
Quite possibly, the great man of letters could have written a second dictionary in the time it takes to start a big game these days, let alone finish one. This is partly down to the anthems, which are flirting so dangerously with the intermi...