Zak Crawley made his highest score of the season, but as his first two innings were nine and 20, it did not say much that he scored 26 for Kent against Northamptonshire.
Crawley’s fellow England opener Ben Duckett did not have a successful first game of the season either for Nottinghamshire, scoring 26 runs in his two innings against Glamorgan, but in the second, he was run out.
At the same time, a rival candidate has emerged in Ben McKinney, the 21-year-old Durham opener, who added 30 to his overnight 214 in Bazball style against Gloucestershire as his county sought an early declaration.
A tall left-hander, McKinney ran down the pitch to hook a six and ramp a four in the same Will Williams over, then pulled – or derisively swatted – two sixes in Matt Taylor’s first over of day two. A short boundary on one side, but still: McKinney has rare timing, as evidenced by his 36 fours and six sixes.
A big question arises, which only Rob Key, as England’s director of cricket, can answer: is the primary objective to regain the Ashes next summer or to compete properly for once in Australia in the next series there? It is asking a lot of McKinney to switch to peak production of runs so young, but it looks as though he will be a much more rounded and complete player than either Crawley or Duckett by the next away Ashes in 2029-30.
It is tough at the bottom, as Crawley can vouch. Before he could bat, Kent, who won the wooden spoon last season, had to bowl for a day and a half and did not even take a bowling point as Northamptonshire piled up 682 for two declared.
It was the first time that Northamptonshire’s top four batsmen had all scored centuries. They were led by their captain Luke Procter, who scored an unbeaten 261 off 357 balls. Procter declared when Northants were less than a hundred short of their highest ever total, and he himself only 70 short of their highest individual innings, 331 not out by Mike Hussey.
Kent’s seam attack struggled almost as much as Gloucestershire’s as they conceded 605 for five against Durham. Gloucestershire lost six of their seamers during the winter, as none of them seemed to fancy a placid Nevil Road, but what seemed unfair was that Sussex took two of them – when it was subsequently proved that they did not have the money to sign anyone.
Another captain’s innings was played by Craig Overton, standing in for Lewis Gregory, as he made his highest first-class score of 141 for Somerset against Essex. Overton had taken on Simon Harmer on the first evening, then he accumulated steadily on the second morning before Essex took the second ball and he accelerated with some fine off and on-driving.
Overton’s stand of 118 with Will Smeed turned the tables. Ironically, as he has been a white-ball specialist, Smeed buckled down and defended on his first-class debut, having been called up as an injury replacement for Tom Kohler-Cadmore, but eventually opened up to take three successive fours off the second new ball, before being caught down the leg side.
Although promoted Leicestershire lost their opening match against Sussex, they responded bravely against Surrey after a daunting opening day. Their Australian opener Jake Weatherald contributed 96 to an opening partnership of 156, as Leicestershire suggested that Surrey might not have their usual depth of pace-bowling quality in the absence of Kemar Roach, who was busy taking wickets for Durham.
Sussex and Essex were the only counties in Division One to win in round one, and Sussex have a stronger chance of winning in round two, but it looks as though they will have to chase the best part of 300 after Warwickshire’s opener Rob Yates – an outside candidate himself to become England’s next opening batsman – led a dogged recovery.