The start of the County Championship is always reason for celebration but as the curtain lifted at Lord’s, it revealed an opening-day party without its special guest. Lancashire’s first Division Two fixture of the summer had meant to be a welcome back bash for one of the greatest to ever do it, James Anderson at the top of his mark in county cricket for the first time since his enforced England ending.
It is not clear how long the farewell tour will extend but Anderson will encounter expectant audiences wherever he goes. No bowling musician has ever mastered the Duke’s, the seamer’s instrument of choice, quite like the 42-year-old. Anderson has spoken with the drive and desire of a man who perhaps has a point to prove and notes left to play – and with a Radio 1 DJ encouraging him to play the hits on the popular Tailenders podcast, a few fairer-weather fans would have joined the MCC members hoping to catch a glimpse of England’s leading Test wicket-taker in the flesh.
Alas, a calf strain put paid to his participation in this season-opener, and all of April too. When Anderson began his first-class career, that would have meant missing an eighth of a season; 23 years later, Lancashire could be without their attack leader for more than a quarter of a campaign in which they will hope to make an immediate return to Division One. An outing at Lord’s, where his time in England whites ended last July, would have felt neat. Still, if the fast bowler is to be believed when he says that he wishes to play on beyond this summer, there is always next year.
Anderson’s absence was not perhaps felt as keenly as one might have feared for the red rose on the opening day of the summer. These two shape as perhaps the pair best placed to push for promotion, with Middlesex having recruited cannily as they emerge from some difficult times on and off the field, and Lancashire well-balanced even with some white-ball stars otherwise engaged. There is enough batting depth within the ranks that young gun Rocky Flintoff was deemed surplus to requirements even after a record-breaking winter.
The first day of the county summer would normally be watched by frostbitten faces peering between thick jumpers and overcoats, but soaring temperature made this a day for the shedding of all but the thinnest of layers. Given woollen hats had been a common sight on slip fielders during the county warm-up fixtures, rather warmer weather would have been most welcome.
Though not necessarily for the bowlers across the land. One might expect the pushing of the County Championship to the margins of the season – beginning here not even a week into April – might be rather more popular with bowlers than batters but these early encounters can be ripe for run-making, with surfaces neither firm nor fast enough to truly challenge the best batters, and spinners relatively seldom sighted.
Cloudless skies overhead offered little to excite Lancashire’s five-pronged seam attack, while a taupe pitch appeared equally unencouraging, making the decision of visiting skipper Keaton Jennings to insert Middlesex questionable. The early dismissal of Nathan Fernandes, feathering an edge behind off the ever-reliable Tom Bailey, was a promising start, but Lancashire lacked incision thereafter as Sam Robson and Max Holden made serene progress through the opening session.
A breakthrough came from a perhaps unlikely source. Luke Wells had just shelled Holden on the fine leg fence when Jennings tossed him the ball, and even he seemed shocked when he skidded what looked to be a googly through the defences of Robson. The veteran opener departed LBW for 70 having seemed set for the first big score of a season where he should again figure high up the run-scoring charts.
Holden (69) fell while similarly well set to Will Williams as Lancashire threatened to battle back, though a true surface and short boundary towards the Grand Stand made stemming the flow of runs tricky, particularly without the parsimonious and probing Anderson on which to call. Yet Lancashire were superb in the second session, ripping through the Middlesex order with debutant left-armer Ollie Sutton striking twice and Tom Aspinwall producing good pace to finish with 4-32.
A total of 260 felt dramatically under-par for Middlesex having been 215-3, and Lancashire proved as much with Jennings and Michael Jones making safe passage to the close. They will begin again tomorrow from 68-0 looking to build
Elsewhere on the opening day, a reinvented Paul Walter (95) produced a standout score at the top of the order for Essex. The lanky left-hander, a surprise star of the last few summers, was in fluent touch at Chelmsford having been asked to open in the absence of Dean Elgar, whose wife has just given birth, in setting up a score against a Surrey attack shorn of Dan Worrall under slightly opaque circumstances. Jordan Cox also pressed his international case after a winter of misfortune with an excellent 117.
At Northampton, meanwhile, a potentially pivotal summer for Zak Crawley started poorly with the Kent batter’s stumps splattered in the third over of the day. Jonny Bairstow’s tenure as Yorkshire skipper isn’t off to the best beginning, either – his 10 not doing much to bolster a tally of 121 all out with Kyle Abbott and Liam Dawson to the fore for Hampshire.
