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Kent On Course To Upset Kiwi's

Sunday, May 16 2004

Day 3 - Kent In Complete Control

A century from Geraint Jones and 4/50 from Amjad Khan put Kent in complete control over the tourist despite a wonderfully crafted 73 from New Zealand's Chris Carins, to avoid humiliation.

Kent returned to the middle with the overnight score on 296/4 and were soon in deep trouble as Michael Carberry could only muster an extra run to his overnight score of 74*, falling to caught behind of the bowling of Chris Martin.

Min Patel was promoted up the order and the decision was vindicated as along with Jones the pair upped the scoring rate and irritated the bowlers hoping to finish the innings off quickly.

Jones completed his maiden fifty of the season soon after the start of the day and was looking to give the tourist an extended look at his batting abilities ahead of the 1st Test next week.

Jones and Patel raced past the fifty partnership giving all the bowlers a torrid time, however again it was the spinner Vettori who was picked out for some additional treatment.

Vettori though had the last laugh with Patel at least as he charged down the track again looking to launch the ball out of the ground only managing to miscalculate the pitch and resulting in being left high and dry as McCullum whipped off the bails in a flash, Patel departing for an entertaining knock of 44 (37) including eight boundaries.

Ferley didn't last long, just four balls before being adjudged leg before. Jones though soon found himself a new able partner in quick bowler Amjad Khan who hung around for over half an hour to support Jones ferocious knock.

With Jones approaching his century Martin removed his allied at the other end Khan for a fighting 16 (39), the wicket didn't slow Jones as he raced to his maiden century of the season from exactly 100 deliveries inducing 11x4's and 5x6's.

Unfortunately for Kent just an over later Jones was undone looking for another big shot and Bond took a simple catch in the deep, Martin again the wicket taker.

With 136 runs from the session and lunch fast approaching the two bowlers in Stiff and Sheriyar played out the last couple of overs and at lunch the Kent captain declared the innings with a slight lead of 23 runs.

Lunch Day 3 - Kent 432/9dec

After lunch nobody was quite expecting what happened next especially not the New Zealand batsman who had looked so comfortable in the first innings.

With just eight runs on the board Amjad Khan repeated his first innings exploits with a double strike, removing Michael Papps (2) and Nathan Astle (0) with his first and third balls of his third over.

With the tourist on the back foot and looking to try and consolidate the innings to some extent Khan struck again to remove Scott Styris for just 12. With Richardson able to stick about and the potential explosives of McMillan and the rest of the lower order it was still not going to be easy for the Kent bowlers.

Things went from bad to worse in a short period of time as Khan who was in the middle of bowling a beautiful spell of fast bowling accounted for the definite Richardson for just 15 from 39 deliveries.

Spin was introduced into the attack in the shape of Ferley who in just his second over had McMillan trapped in front for just 12 and leaving the Kiwi’s reeling at 41/5.

McCullum and Cairns set about restoring the damage done and were doing a fine job, with Cairns looking rather sedate than normal, but with McCullum moving briskly along at the other end there was no real need to be over attacking.

With the tea interval approaching the last thing New Zealand needed was to lose another wicket and they managed to do just that, Fulton saw the opportunity to throw the ball to the fast bowler Stiff and make the last few overs as difficult as possible for the batsman and Stiff responded with a peach of a delivery to send McCullum's stumps flying.

Vettori joined Cairns and both survived through to the Tea interval taking the score through to 100/6 in the process.

After the interval Vettori set about attacking the Kent bowlers while the typically aggressive Cairns was quite content to hold up the other end and rotate the strike.

The pairing was going along superbly adding a much-required 49 for the seventh wicket, but the tormentor from the first innings Patel was back in the attack and soon had Vettori clean bowled for a valuable knock of 40 (43).

The tail played a huge part in helping the tourist to recover to a respectable score in a combination of dogged batting and some textbook tactics by the veteran Carins, who rotated the strike at the end of all the overs remaining perfectly.

Both Tuffey (9) and Bond (7) fell after solid stays both to the bowling of Sheriyar, however it was the last wicket that played both the role of getting the score up to a respectable level and just for the entertainment factor.

Chris Martin and Chris Cairns shared in a partnership of 33 of which Martin's contribution was a solid 0*. Cairns knew he had to let the arms fly with no more support to come and he showed his intent as soon as Martin reached the middle as he blasted ten runs from the very next over brining up his second half century of the match.

In the space of the next 25 minutes Cairns blasted 22 more runs including two sixes before he charged down the pitch at a delivery from spinner Ferley only to miscalculate the pitch and spin and Jones behind the stumps did the rest.

Cairns was the last man to fall for a splendid 73 (109) and in the process of the last wicket edged the team up just past the 200 mark, but in respect to where the team where at Tea (100/6) 211 all out was certainly a mighty fine effort from the tail.

New Zealand: Second Innings 211ao

Kent had little more than 30 minutes to hold out at the end of the day and did so unscathed with Fulton (14*) and Key (10*) seeing the home side through to stumps, and into a very solid position to target a victory in the morning with just a further 165 to win with all 10 wickets remaining.


Stumps Day 3:

New Zealanders: 409 & 211

Kent: 432/9d & 24/0 (9 Overs) - Fulton 14*, Key 10*


Match 100's

* M Papps (NZ) 100 (207) in 235 mins, 15x4
* R Key (Kent) 100 (111) in 160 mins, 18x4
* G Jones (Kent) 100 (100) in 181 mins, 11x4, 5x6


* Day 1 - Match Report
* Day 2 - Match Report

Posted by Richard