County cricket talking points: old timers show that class is permanent

Keith Barker put in a sterling performance for Warwickshire against Essex. Photograph: NurPhoto/Getty ImagesView image in fullscreenKeith Barker put in a sterling performance for Warwickshire against Essex. Photograph: NurPhoto/Getty Images99.94 cricket blogCounty ChampionshipCounty cricket talking points: old timers show that class is permanentTom Abell, Keith Barker, Keaton Jennings and Sam Robson all enjoyed a good week in the County Championship By the 99.94 Cricket BlogGary NaylorTue 21 Apr 2026 14.31 BSTLast modified on Tue 21 Apr 2026 14.40 BSTSharePrefer the Guardian on Google1. Abell triumphs in ding-dong battleIt’s easy if you think there is no room for sentiment in professional sport. Specialist coaches are driven by data; players execute skills; and teams are projects. But is it wrong to hope that sport can remain an enclave of truthful emotion in a cynical world?Tom Abell has played for many teams around the world, as any moderately successful cricketer will these days, but he made his first-class debut for Somerset in 2014 and has never played for another county. He captained the team at the age of 23 and served seven seasons under a fierce, if local, spotlight, having the cojones to drop himself in those early days and come back stronger. He has a name and a record that suggests he would fit into the 1920s as easily as he fits into the 2020s.In a match that swung this way and that, and allowed Hampshire’s Sonny Baker and the visitors’ James Rew to enhance their cases for Test call-ups, Somerset were 52 for 3 when their former captain joined his wicketkeeper at the crease, with 235 required and plenty of time to get them – a classic case of “where’s your money?”Useful runs were added by Will Smeed and Lewis Gregory, but it was Jack Leach – who knows a bit about these things – who was at the other end, eight down, when Abell hit the runs that raised his century, won the match and sent his team to the top of Division One. He might not have had a tear in...