Bandara bags three for 14 but Briggs does better

Kent v Hampshire Friends Provident t20, Canterbury 2.7.10
By Mark Pennell
Kent“s excellent bowling a fielding performance was undone by an extraordinary return of three for five by left-arm spinner Danny Briggs that helped ease Hampshire to an emphatic 45-run Friends Provident t20 win over Kent on Friday night.
The Royals“19-year-old spinner ran through the Kent middle-order to secure Hampshire“s sixth win in 11 starts in the South Group, while inflicting an eighth defeat on the Spitfires, who now look unlikely to qualify for the knock-out stages.
Batting first in what transpired to be a low-scoring clash on a spin-friendly pitch, Hampshire limped along at seven-an-over – a sedate pace for t20 – especially against an injury ravaged Kent attack to post 139.
Sean Ervine was comfortably top-scored for the visitors, clattering 44 from 26 with six fours before he top-edged a catch to the keeper off Malinga Bandara.
Otherwise none of the Royals top-order reached 20 as skipper Key relied on spin bowling from Sri Lankan Malinga Bandara, who took three for 14, and occasional off-spinner Martin van Jaarsveld, with three for 25 – a haul that included the experienced scalps of Nic Pothas (13) and Dominic Cork for a first ball duck.
Kent lost Joe Denly early in the reply when a crisp pull-shot against Chris Wood, which the right-hander believed might sail for six, simply picked out Jimmy Adams at deep square leg who moved two yards to claim a rasping catch.
Spitfires“ skipper Rob Key (22) and van Jaarsveld coaxed the home score through to 28 before Key, in looking to pull a short one from Wood through the leg-side, bottom edged the ball onto his foot only to see it trickle back onto the stumps and remove one bail.
Without the experienced duo of Darren Stevens and James Tredwell, both absent on England Lions duty, Kent“s rookie middle order struggled to hit boundaries as Hampshire skipper Cork took pace off the ball through Briggs.
The teenage slow left-armer, who said afterwards that he ‘didn“t bowl one bad ball“, had left-hander Alex Blake caught at backward square-leg off a miscued paddle and Matt Coles (1) snaffled at deep cover.
Kent“s last hope rested on the shoulders of former Pakistan all-rounder Azhar Mahmood, who reached 16 from 17 balls, but their chances died when he slogged across the line to be bowled.