diff --git a/src/Storage/Directive/OrderDirective.php b/src/Storage/Directive/OrderDirective.php
index 12a5250e9..952fc85d2 100644
--- a/src/Storage/Directive/OrderDirective.php
+++ b/src/Storage/Directive/OrderDirective.php
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 
 namespace Bolt\Storage\Directive;
 
+use Bolt\Doctrine\Version;
 use Bolt\Entity\Field\NumberField;
 use Bolt\Storage\QueryInterface;
 use Bolt\Twig\Notifications;
@@ -170,6 +171,17 @@ private function getTitleFormat(QueryInterface $query): ?string
     private function orderByNumericField(QueryInterface $query, string $translationsAlias, string $direction): void
     {
         $qb = $query->getQueryBuilder();
+
+        // For older bundled SQLite in PHP 7.2 that do not have `INSTR` and `CAST` built in, we fall back to the
+        // "dumb" sorting instead. For this we use the same criteria as to check whether we have JSON. C'est la vie.
+        $doctrineVersion = new Version($query->getQueryBuilder()->getEntityManager()->getConnection());
+
+        if (! $doctrineVersion->hasJson()) {
+            $qb->addOrderBy($translationsAlias . '.value', $direction);
+
+            return;
+        }
+
         $qb->addSelect('INSTR(' . $translationsAlias . '.value, \'%[0-9]%\') as HIDDEN instr');
         $innerSubstring = $qb
             ->expr()