The sack race is a feature of every football season.

Who will be the first Premier League or Championship manager to get the push from a panicking board of directors and how many days will it take them? It fills in countless hours of television plus yards of newspaper and cyberspace.

Many involved in cricket used to view such things with a mixture of disdain and condescension but that’s not so easy now.

Six of the 18 counties started the new season with a fresh name over the door. Chris Silverwood has returned to Essex – who he inspired to the County Championship title in 2017 before getting the England job – in succession to Antony McGrath, who switched to Yorkshire when their promotion run proved too late to save Ottis Gibson. A “restructuring” cost Mark Robinson his role at Warwickshire (one Championship win in 2024 didn’t help either), former skipper Ian Westwood taking charge.

Glamorgan have Richard Dawson as interim boss after Grant Bradburn was sacked for misconduct while at Kent it’s Adam Hollioake – once barnstorming captain of Surrey – calling the tune following Matt Walker’s departure. Darren Lehmann gets the opportunity at Northamptonshire to show why he was so effective as Australian coach, replacing John Sadler.

The increased turnover has much to do with the Championship being split in two divisions – albeit 25 years ago – as counties vie for either promotion or survival.

For many years the county coach was a backroom – albeit crucial – role, often occupied by a retired player familiar with the club. Captains were far more front and centre. The coach might well spend at least as much time with the second team, bringing on the next generation of players.

Andy Sandham, after his prolific run scoring, was Surrey’s coach when they won seven successive County Championships in the 1950s, handing over to Arthur McIntyre in 1959 and becoming the scorer. McIntyre would oversee the playing staff until 1976, continuity a valued commodity. Likewise at Middlesex, where Don Bennett quietly went about his business in their 1970s-80s glory days.

It began to change in 1979 when two counties – Surrey and Yorkshire – appointed team managers. Micky Stewart, having built a successful second career with Slazenger after retiring from playing at The Oval seven years earlier, could not resist reviving a county who had slumped to one place off the foot of the Championship. He also insisted on overseeing the development of young players in the county. Surrey’s current success still owes much to that.

But the job – whether titled director of cricket, manager or head coach – has become more complicated.

Playing contracts are intricate, necessitated by employment law, whereas not so long ago a player would be presented with a fresh deal (or told he was released) and be grateful for it.

And overseas players – introduced in 1968 – is a minefield in itself. Once upon a time, a coach only needed to find out who was touring the next summer to know that pretty much anyone else would be available. The best South Africans, prevented from playing international cricket because of apartheid, were like diamonds. Now the English domestic programme clashes with not only red and white ball series overseas but T20 franchise tournaments – such as the IPL – pop up all over the place.

No wonder there’s a big turnover.

By Richard Spiller