For Nottinghamshire supporters, there is little doubt as to who should have been behind the stumps for England for the past decade and half. While he may have entered his 37th year, Chris Read is no veteran county professional grimly clinging on in the twilight of his career.
The evergreen wicketkeeper is lighting up the County Championship with innings such as the one here on day three, a 76-ball century that leaves Middlesex, one down, facing three sessions of survival in the face of an impossible 519 to win.
The hosts closed on 57 for one thanks to an obdurate unbeaten 13 from Nick Gubbins and 37 not out from Nick Compton, after Sam Robson was trapped lbw by Jake Ball for a third-ball duck. Middlesex will hope Dawid Malan, who has been told he faces up to six weeks out with a broken hand, is not required at the crease in plaster late on day four.
While Jos Buttler was compiling a 22-ball duck in Antigua, Read was pumping the hosts to all parts of Lord’s for an unbeaten 101 that featured 14 fours and two sixes, needing only 19 balls to turn his half-century into three figures after tea.
The lead was already 446 by the time Read went into the interval unbeaten on 48. Twenty-five minutes after the resumption he was raising his bat before declaring on 401 for eight. Whether he has left his bowlers enough time to register a win in this opening fixture remains to be seen.
“It was great but not quite what I was expecting at tea – the plan was just to be positive for 20 minutes but it snowballed from there,” Read said. “I maybe stayed out there one over more than I would have done but I’m very proud. If we need the extra over tomorrow maybe I’ll regret it, but hopefully it won’t cost us too much.”
Before his demolition job, Nottinghamshire had meandered through the day somewhat, with a string of middling scores made at no great haste. James Taylor was next best with 61 from 88 balls, flickering between scratchy and fluent before giving Paul Stirling one happy memory with a plumb lbw.
Tim Murtagh was the pick of the bowlers with three for 69, the best was a brutish rising delivery that caught Alex Hales by surprise on 37 and was gloved through to John Simpson behind the stumps.
Middlesex were left to rue Robson dropping Samit Patel at second slip off the same bowler four overs later.
The part-time spin of captain and overseas player Adam Voges reaped two for 65 – the nightwatchman Will Gidman the first to fall for 18 and Patel sweeping lazily to backward square-leg on 33 – on a day when the club announced the signing of fellow Australian Joe Burns as his replacement from mid-May to July.
That a 25-year-old right-hander who averaged just shy of 53 runs in the most recent edition of the Sheffield Shield will be joining the club for seven championship matches and 11 of the NatWest T20 Blast fixtures is the only good news story in an otherwise chastening start to the season.
