THE sub-continent has come to the Riverside these last few days, and if spectators have found the pace of it rather tedious they must blame their own pitch rather than the touring team’s readiness to come to terms with it. You do not often see as few as 239 runs scored in a full day in England.

And this, despite Durham’s batsmen being in a comfort zone as they passed 200 with only two wickets down. But they did not dare try to go any faster on a slow surface — afraid, one sensed, of “missing out”.

Thus, Michael Gough took 180 balls to reach fifty, before losing patience. But Gordon Muchall’s application was rewarded with a third first-class hundred. It took him four hours, and meant playing for long periods against two spinners who turned the ball away: little Amit Mishra with leg-spin, plus variations, and Murali Kartik, the left-arm bowler. Mishra bowled 26 overs unchanged and the two operated in tandem almost all afternoon. Curiously, they seemed unconcerned at being called 23 times for no-balls.

Muchall, often able to play Mishra “off the pitch”, fell for 121 caught behind cutting at a low, skidding leg break. He had faced 249 balls and struck 12 boundaries. The incoming Durham batsmen were then beset by doubt, caution and the low bounce. The innings was becalmed until Ian Hunter’s uninhibited strokes showed that the spinners could be hit after all. His 44 gave Durham self-respect in getting to 333 and — just — avoiding the follow-on before they declared.