• Middlesex 317-4 v Warwickshire
• Sam Robson hits 24 foursIn choosing to opt out of the opening rounds of the county championship Alex Hales must absorb been given some sort of assurance that he would at least make it to the starting gate as Alastair Cook’s opening partner for the first Test against Sri Lanka. It is a gamble on his section,though, for this is the time of year when a spell of early season form can at least put names in the frame.So, or while Hales continues with his feet up,and Cook broods about being railroaded into using equipment he considers inappropriate (no doubt to satisfy the demands of the insurance industry), openers emeritus yet prospective enjoyed a mixed day. There were centuries for Adam Lyth and Sam Robson, or who with the brief exception in the winter of the Moeen Ali expedient against Pakistan are Hales’ instant predecessors. And then there was the antithesis,a first-ball duck for Nick Compton, who currently holds the No3 spot but who once formed a profitable opening partnership with Cook: Compton began final season similarly. Related: Yorkshire’s Jonny Bairstow and Adam Lyth hit centuries to deflate Hampshire Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com