County cricket talking points: old timers show that class is permanent

4. A want of boldness at Wantage Road

Another former England opener who plays the role in the traditional manner secured a draw for Middlesex as the match at Wantage Road fizzled out in poor light. Sam Robson batted for more than six hours for his 162, nearly matching the 164 that James Sales scored for Northamptonshire, but neither side should be happy with the stalemate.

The fourth day had started with Middlesex 48 in front with nine second-innings wickets in hand. After an hour or so without a breakthrough, and mindful of the overs already lost in the game, could the coaches not have concocted a chase after lunch, say 270 in two sessions?

It’s wins that matter in Division Two, as falling short of third place by one point gets you pretty much the same reward as falling short by 50 come the end of the season. So why not take a chance, even if it’s not the done thing?

5. Who’s winning?

If you are of a certain age, you will have grown up watching the last event of the Olympics track and field competition to the soundtrack of an almost permanently breathless David Coleman warning us not to make any judgments “until the stagger has wound out”. So don’t write off Kriss Akabusi, Roger Black and co in the relay just yet!

The County Championship is in its stagger phase now, the tables tricky to assess given that some teams did not play last weekend and some will not play this weekend. Giving players a week away from the grind is understandable, but perhaps it would be better for the narrative if Division One fixtures were suspended one week and Division Two matches the next. That would also allow the spotlight to fall exclusively on lower-level matches for a round, which could provide an opportunity to smaller counties with a bit of imaginative marketing.

6. Bowling along in the fast lane

Seven bowlers have delivered 99.5 or more overs in the Championship so far, including Kyle Abbott (38 years old), Harry Conway (33), Ben Sanderson (37), Ryan Higgins (31) and James Anderson (43). It’s too early to draw any conclusions, and there are multiple factors involved, but, with much talk of managing workloads, one wonders why thirtysomethings can do the job that breaks twentysomethings.

With all the sports science available these days, it is surprising to see so many young bowlers – whose fitness has been managed by professionals since their early teens – protected from doing the one thing we know creates strong, fit bowlers: bowling.

I’d better stop now before I turn into Fred Trueman. Until next week, I’ll sithee.