Jordan Thompson preparing for emotional last dance with Yorkshire CCC

“The lads have got four more days with me so I’m expecting my kit to be in tatters, bats to be broken, pads to be ripped up and things like that because there’s always a bit of banter,” said Thompson, who is leaving for Warwickshire on a three-year deal.

“There’ll probably be a few bits of food and stones in my kit as well - all sorts, basically. I’m usually at the forefront of it all but it’s probably my time now to be on the receiving end.

“I’m expecting it to be absolute carnage, to be honest, and although the cricket will obviously come first and foremost, I think there’ll be a few bits going on in the changing room as well.”

Glad to hear it, you might say, given that morgue-like atmospheres are unlikely to be helpful. Yorkshire need 10 points from the game against Durham to guarantee survival and will be taking nothing for granted.

“It’s obviously a crucial game at home to make sure that we preserve Division One status,” said Thompson, who has featured in eight of the 13 Championship games this year.

“We’ll certainly back ourselves to get over the line because we know what talent we’ve got in that dressing room. We’ve had a couple of challenging weeks off the back of people being at The Hundred and involved in the one-day comp and things like that, and it’s just taken a few days to get back into our stride.

“There’s been a little bit of rain around and we were on and off in our last two games at Somerset and Sussex, so it’s important that we practice well and go into Wednesday with plenty of confidence.”

Although the focus will naturally be on the game itself and the battle for survival, with second-bottom Durham realistically having to win and also better Hampshire’s points tally at home to Surrey, it will be an emotional few days for Thompson.

The so-called “man who makes things happen” has been making them happen for the club since 2018, when he made his debut as a 21-year-old in T20 cricket, a format of the game in which he has excelled although his red-ball performances have often been impressive, with his powerful hitting and wholehearted bowling.

“It could turn out to be an emotional time but it’s been a great journey,” said Thompson, who is leaving because he and Yorkshire were unable to agree new contract terms, with neither party wanting the arrangement to end in an ideal world.

“It’s been an amazing experience to play for my home county. That’s all that I wanted to do growing up, sat in the stands at T20 games with mum and dad saying that hopefully one day I’ll be doing that, and that’s exactly what I’ve gone on to do nearly 100 times in T20 and nearly 70 times in first-class cricket. Hopefully, I can help preserve that Division One status and finish on a high.”

Thompson, 28, is certainly one of the more charismatic cricketers that Yorkshire have possessed – a showman on the pitch and a nice guy off the field.

Give him a big crowd and a big occasion, or something on the line, and he is in his element; he disproves the notion that there are no characters in the game anymore.

He is also a proud Yorkshireman, someone who, when asked to reflect on his career highlights, touchingly references the award of his county cap. It came at Scarborough in 2022, days after he had bowled Yorkshire to T20 Finals Day against Surrey at the Oval, improbably defending five runs off the last over in a dramatic quarter-final.

“Being capped was up there with my best memories,” he said. “It was a special moment. To be awarded that cap – cap number 189 – is something I’ll always cherish. It will stay with me forever.”

It must have been, on that basis, a tough decision to leave? For all that he is looking forward to the next chapter, Thompson did not deny it.

“Oh, absolutely,” he said. “It was very tough. And people know that - players, staff, everybody here.

“I’ve come to terms with it now - I spent some time away down at The Hundred recently - and after this week I’ll be away this winter in Australia and hopefully have some franchise stuff, and then I’ll be straight into it with Warwickshire next season, and I’m thoroughly looking forward to that, playing with a great club and in a great location.”

Thompson has not ruled out a return to Yorkshire - “you never say never”.

Until then, asked how he would like to be remembered by Yorkshire’s supporters, he says simply...

“I think just the fact that I've given 100 per cent at all times. I've never taken a backward step.

"I'm obviously very passionate about the team and about the fans and the club, so just to remember me as a competitor and somebody who can pull stuff out of the hat on occasion and win games for Yorkshire.”