Kent v Northants: Key and Denly battle back after first-innings deficit
Wednesday 5th August 2015
Gritty batting by Joe Denly and Rob Key put Kent within 150 of Northants after eventually dismissing the visitors on day two.
A good morning session for Kent's bowlers was followed by late-order resistance in the afternoon with a 50 for Azharullah and a career-best 42 by Ben Sanderson helping Northants reach 398, a lead of 231.
Daniel Bell-Drummond started well before playing on for 26 and it was left to the experienced duo of Key and Denly to see off the new ball, leaving expertly outside off-stump as the visitors bowled well in the evening session.
Earlier, James Tredwell (3/59) and Matt Coles (3/118) toiled to finally polish off the tail with Azharullah (58 not out) and Sanderson (42) adding 82 for the ninth wicket after early Kent success with the ball.
Resuming on their first day total of 172 for two Northamptonshire lost their third wicket to only the fifth ball of the day when Rob Keogh drove back a return catch to Matt Coles. The bowler thrust out his right hand in the follow-through to cling on to an instinctive, reflex chance that sent Keogh packing without addition to his overnight score of 11.
Moments later Ben Duckett, the diminutive left-hander, celebrated his fourth first-class century of the summer, his third in championship cricket, from 115 balls and with 13 fours.
Kent-born Duckett was apologising soon after however, when his suicidal call for a single to extra cover led to Richard Levi’s run out for 25. Darren Stevens’ direct hit with a sidearm throw demolished middle stump to complete the dismissal.
Duckett followed just before the interval when he went back to cut, only to be snared lbw by a quicker arm-ball by James Tredwell. Duckett’s 145 came from 199 balls and included 16 fours.
During the interval Kent’s Bell-Drummond and wicketkeeper Sam Billings were awarded their county caps by Kent president Lady Kingsdown.
Having gone into lunch on 263 for five, Northamptonshire added only another nine runs before Saif Zaib, the 17-year-old batsman making his first-class debut, played late across a full-length Coles in-swinger to go for a 12-ball duck.
Stone fenced at Coles’s next delivery to edge to the keeper and, at 272 for seven and with barely a 100 runs separating the sides, the game appeared up for grabs once more.
Josh Cobb eventually went for 30, after following and feathering a Stevens away-swinger to the keeper, but then Sanderson teamed up with Azharullah to frustrate Kent for another hour.
Sanderson, a former Yorkshire seamer and non-contracted player, chipped in with 42 before clipping a looping catch to mid-wicket, while Azharullah posted his maiden first-class 50 from 71 balls and with eight fours.
Northamptonshire’s innings ended when last man Maurice Chambers (2) skied to mid-on to give Tredwell a third wicket.