The Bearded Wonder, in his latest column for the BBC web site, alerts me to the fact that Mark Ramprakash has averaged over 100 for a second season. This is a phenomenal achievement. The reasons why Ramps hasn’t played more for England are doubtless varied and complex, but there’s no doubt that he’s one of the best batsmen in world cricket. Many other countries would be glad to have him.

Of course what Bearders was asked was whether anyone else had achieved the same feat. And one man has: the inimitable Geoffrey Boycott. We’ll politely gloss over any questions comparing how long the two men took to score their runs.