County cricket: what can be done to reduce the number of draws?

4. Crocombe flying high

It always feels more objective looking at batters’ stats when building an argument for a player to come in for an England place (maybe as an opener, who knows just yet?) compared to those of bowlers. Subjective qualities such as “bowls a heavy ball”, “moves it late in the air”, “troubles left-handers” can be backed by data these days, but it’s usually easier to find solid reasons not to pick a bowler than the opposite. “Too many four balls”, “lost his zip” and the ever-reliable “too slow for Test cricket”. (Vernon Philander anyone?)

Henry Crocombe is picking up wickets when other bowlers – certainly outside the prowling pack of wise old foxes – are not. The Sussex pacer has bagged 16 at less than 18 to top the Division One charts. He spent last week bowling to Joe Root, which will not have hurt his case. Nor will the fact he got the maestro out for 96.

Henry Crocombe is top of the bowling charts in Division One. Photograph: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

5. Oh dear, Lanky, Lanky

I’m loath to bring up the unhappy substitute rule, new for this season and stumbling towards a review, but watching a wicketkeeper-batter (George Bell) and an opening bowler (Tom Bailey) tossing up Sunday afternoon off-breaks, because the spin-bowler-who-bats, Arav Shetty, was not allowed to be replaced by spin-bowler-who-bats, Tom Hartley, was not what it was brought in to do. The video stream did not show county cricket to best advantage covering that malarkey – subscribers won’t pay for that.

But that’s a subplot really. Durham were more than 200 behind, eight down in their first innings, but late-order runs are a mark of a good side and James Anderson and co could not finish them off, Matthew Potts once again showing his credentials for all-rounder status.

Potts then knocked over three Lancastrians to leave them reeling at 41-5, but a century from ex-Durham man, Paul Coughlin, allowed Keaton Jennings to declare and set the hosts 336 in a day.

With Anderson at the top of his mark and even a bowler light, Lancashire must have been favourites but, on a dying wicket, Emilio Gay and David Bedingham put on an unbeaten stand of 290 to cruise home and nestle in, three points off their opponents still top of Division Two, who have a game in hand.

6. Kent just can’t

Kent finished bottom of Division One in 2024, bottom of Division Two in 2025 and, after an innings defeat at New Road, they are back in the basement again.

I half-expected to see an XI on the sorry scorecard comprising callow youths and seasoned pros on their last contracts as the club wrote off the red-ball season to concentrate on one-day stuff, in which they have some pedigree of course. But no. Worcestershire handed out an innings defeat to a blend of experienced pros and talented players who may be short of the quality to go up against the best Division One outfits, but should surely be holding their own at the lower level.

Tom Taylor led the Pears’ attack with a second-innings fivefer, but four other members of the seam battery took at least one wicket in each of Kent’s two efforts, in which the highest score from a top-six batter was Zak Crawley’s 31.

Kent welcome an equally abject Derbyshire to the St Lawrence Ground on Friday. Lose that and a very long season stretches in front of them.