The announcements have fallen like raindrops in the last few days. Jonny Bairstow has joined the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Jos Buttler has signed for the Paarl Royals, Samit Patel, Will Smeed and Jordan Thompson have all been picked up by Mumbai Indians’ Emirates team, Sam Curran and Liam Livingstone by their side based in Cape Town. Each one is a sign of changing times. It felt like two smaller, but more significant, press releases out of county cricket got lost among the rush. Darren Stevens has been released by Kent, after 26 seasons on the circuit, and James Hildreth has retired from Somerset, after 19.