Image source, Rex Features

England director of cricket Rob Key was also asked about which players he was hoping to keep an eye on, both at Canterbury and in this year's County Championship in general.

"It would be nice to see Shoaib Bashir down here early season, hopefully, although whether a spinner gets to bowl much at this time of year we will wait and see," said Key.

"There's plenty of decent players on show. The one I really like, he's not qualified yet but he will be in a couple of years, is Tawanda Muyeye. He is a fantastic player for Kent.

"You have got players like Daniel Bell-Drummond, who has been knocking around county cricket a while and is the new captain down here. There's plenty of different players to see."

Image source, Rex Features

England director of cricket Rob Key is at Canterbury, although he has not seen any play for his old county, Kent, against Somerset.

But he has been speaking to the Media, and he has had some interesting things to say on a range of topics, including the possibility of an England return for pace bowler Jofra Archer.

"Jofra's been out at Sussex's pre-season in India and bowled quickly out there. He bowled really well," said Key.

"He's now just gone back to the Caribbean where he will play a little bit of club cricket, stuff like that.

"It's all about getting himself ready for that T20 World Cup. He'll hopefully play the Pakistan series, but it's all fingers crossed with Jofra at the moment.

"What we're going to do is take it slower [rather] than trying to go too quickly so we get him back for not just a short period, but a long period.

"The whole plan with Jofra is he is going to play white ball cricket this summer, and going into the winter.

"Then hopefully next summer when we play India, then the Ashes [in Australia], we get him back for Test cricket.

"It's a slow process to get him back for all forms."

As we digest lunchtime scores, it's a good time to look at things have been altered for the 2024 County Championship.

But don't worry, it's not too much!

The five points for a draw experiment in 2023 was short-lived, it will revert to eight once again for a draw in 2024, with 16 for a win remaining unchanged.

A change to batting bonus points brought in last year to encourage teams to score more quickly in the first-innings will remain. A first batting bonus point is awarded when a side scores 250 while a score of 450 or more inside 110 overs will result in the maximum five points. Bowling bonus points have not changed.

While it is unlikely to be widespread, for the first time hybrid pitches will be permitted in this edition of the County Championship in a one-year ECB trial.

Hybrid tracks, which remain predominantly grass but contain a small (5% or so) amount of synthetic fibres woven in to help prevent deterioration and allow for more cricket to be played on them, have previously only been used in white ball cricket.

Another thing to look out for is the return of the Kookaburra ball in place of the Dukes ball, with the number of rounds in which it will be used doubling from two to four this season, with half in the opening block of the season and two towards the back end of the campaign.

Rain in Leedspublished at 13:23 British Summer Time 5 April 2024

13:23 BST 5 April 2024

Yorkshire v Leicestershire

Not quite rain stops play, but more rain stops inspection.

Umpires Mark Newell and Jack Shantry were out in the middle, but that thing falling from the sky has forced them off the field.

Division One:

Chester-le-Street: Durham v Hampshire - play abandoned for the day

Canterbury: Kent v Somerset - no play before lunch

Emirates Old Trafford: Lancashire v Surrey - play abandoned for the day

Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Essex 62-2

Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Worcestershire 123-1

Division Two:

Derby: Derbyshire v Gloucestershire - play abandoned for the day

Lord's: Middlesex v Glamorgan 118-1

Hove: Sussex v Northamptonshire - no play before lunch

Headingley: Yorkshire v Leicestershire - no play before lunch

No wicket for Nottinghamshire in that final over before the interval - a maiden by Lyndon James - but they'll feel reasonably satisfied with their efforts after winning the toss and putting Essex in.

Dean Elgar could hold the key for the visitors. He's looked very solid for his 31, while Jordan Cox is alongside him with two runs to his name.

Edward Bevan
Cricket reporter on BBC Radio Wales

It's been an excellent partnership by these two very experienced players.

Glamorgan are very well placed at the lunch interval.

They've laid the foundation now.

Interesting approach by Jordan Cox, who comes down the wicket to Dane Paterson and earns a leg-bye before picking up his first runs for Essex off the bat, a tidy on-drive for two.

Notts would love to pick up a third wicket before the interval...

Dave Bracegirdle
BBC Radio Nottingham commentator

Image source, Rex Features

The ground looks lovely with the sun on it. It looked very damp when I arrived here this morning.

Got the pile of sawdust at each end, but drying out all the time.

Time for the first one of the summer of a cricket tradition - a Lord's lunch!

Glamorgan will be much the happier with that after being asked to bat first this morning.

Half-centuries from Sam Northeast and Billy Root have the Welsh side on top as they head into the interval.

But the best thing of all - an uninterrupted two hours of cricket!

It's been a tough shift for the bowlers here - and indeed in the other active Championship games this morning. Just the one scalp for Warwickshire after winning the toss and choosing to bowl.

Roderick blocks out the Will Rhodes over until the sixth ball, driven through down the ground past captain Alex Davies for three.

Left arm spinner Danny Briggs will bowl the last over before lunch.

He bowls round the wicket to Roderick, who can't quite pierce the off side field - and that's lunch.

Great start for the Pears after a few close calls early this morning when there was a hint of movement with the Kookaburra ball.

Roderick lunches on 46 with Kashif Ali on 33.

partnershippublished at 12:57 British Summer Time 5 April 2024

12:57 BST 5 April 2024

Middlesex v Glamorgan 116-1

That wicket seems like a long time ago for the home team.

A single from Billy Root off the spin of Josh de Caires brings up the century stand for him and Sam Northeast.

Notts make their first bowling change, with Lyndon James on to replace Brett Hutton and his first delivery is pitched up, rapping Tom Westley on the pads but the umpire is unimpressed.

It's a good first over from the all-rounder, who concedes just a single.

He'll get a few more overs before lunch, which has been pushed back to 1.10. All being well with the weather, we'll get 88 overs in the day.

Interesting tactic here. We now have two short extra cover fielders in for Rhodes.

Kashif Ali pushes forwards in defence. Just one run in the over.

Roderick is squared up by the second ball of Barnard's over, dabbing the ball safely into the off side for one.

One more to Ali, working a leg side ball behind square.

Roderick will keep the strike with a glance to fine leg off the sixth ball for an easy single.

Grace Ballinger
The Blaze bowler on BBC Radio Nottingham

An excellent delivery from Dillon Pennington, I'm pleased to see him pick up a wicket, he's looked to bowl aggressively, he's bowled at lengths and he's beaten the edge there.

A pretty regulation catch there from Matthew Montgomery, just straight into his hands.

I feel that Notts needed that, those two looked good at the crease.

Not quite as grim news on the south coast...

Lunch is being taken now at Hove, with the next inspection planned for 13:30 BST.

Martin Emmerson
BBC Radio Newcastle

The umpires have abandoned play on day one of Durham’s opening game of the county championship season, against Hampshire.

Following a second inspection at 12.30pm they decided areas of the field were still too damp, following weeks of rain and heavy overnight storms.

So they will try again tomorrow at 11am.

I am struggling to think of the last time day one of the season was actually lost to the weather. But sadly it feels like it has been ranining for the last six months.

The Met Office said this week England had also experienced the wettest 18-month period on record. Ironically, it's nice and sunny at the moment.

Rhodes is back of a length and Roderick leaves the ball outside off. Maiden over.

Nice footwork from Ed Barnard, as Ali drives straight and the bowler pushes the ball back to Bethell on his back heel after his follow through.

Barnard's fifth ball is short and swivel-pulled to fine leg by Ali for four. great shot. He almost played that off his eyebrows but fully in control.

Essex made a brisk start after being put in, but they've been pegged back by the wicket of Feroze Khushi as Nottinghamshire's opening bowlers get into their groove.

Dillon Pennington got one to nip back and strike Dean Elgar on the pads, but height saved the left-hander there. Brett Hutton, meanwhile, has just sent down the first maiden of the innings.