England’s oldest living Test player is intrigued to hear that he is only the second most elderly in world cricket. South Africa’s John Watkins, also 94, beats him by 65 days. Don Smith considers this fact, then says of Watkins: “Poor old bugger.”

At his bowling club near his home in Adelaide, Smith is only a mile or two from England’s current Test team, but a universe away in terms of history and memories. Smith scored nearly 17,000 runs and took 340 wickets for Sussex from 1946-1962 but was restricted to three Tests against West Indies in 1957, in a golden age. Among the protagonists that summer were Sobers, Walcott, Worrell, Ramadhin, Weekes, Graveney, May, Cowdrey, Close, Trueman, Statham and Laker.

For Smith the immersion was brief but reinforced his view of sportsmanship. Troubled by osteoporosis, but still pin sharp, he takes up the story: “I got a hundred against the Windies for Sussex in the match prior, and it was the end of a very good run I was having, because I’d been to Jamaica with the Duke of Norfolk’s side, and had a good time there against Roy Gilchrist, who chucked it like fury.

“So I suppose they thought, ‘Well, this fellow’s in good nick, we might as well let him have a go.’ Lo and behold I turned up at Lord’s and nothing much was said. I was presented with my colours in the basement by a minion, who gave me my cap and sweaters. Well, I thought it was great.”