On this cold grey day in April, the mocking laugh of the Kookaburra can be heard in the shires. This invasive species has been flown in from the Antipodes, disrupting the habitat of county cricket's native seamers.
At the end of the match, Sam Northeast, who hails from the south-east region of Glamorgan, was the one who laughed the most. Although Ashford in Kent is not as remote as the Eucalypt forests of Queensland, for Middlesex's bowlers, Northeast was just as dominant as Ricky Ponting at the Gabba in 2002-03. He effortlessly took control of the game after being given the opportunity to bat first on a typically flat Lord's pitch.
On the opening day of the 2024 County Championship, there were four washouts and one wipeout. The Lord's drainage has a legendary status, which means that London's morning downpours are unlikely to cause the issues encountered at Derby or Old Trafford. However, when Toby Roland-Jones won the toss for Middlesex and chose to bowl first, he could not have foreseen a first-day scoreline of 370 for 3. His counterpart, who he incorrectly called, was sitting pretty on 186 not out from 266 balls.