Keith Dudgeon produced a magical individual display for Kent to hand them a 145-run County Championship success over Northamptonshire. The 29-year-old South African took a career-best 7-36. He blasted through the final three Northamptonshire wickets, securing victory less than half an hour into the third day’s play at Wantage Road.
Dudgeon’s exceptional bowling effort concluded when he uprooted Raphael Weatherall’s off stump with a fizzing yorker, marking his fifth wicket of the match. Kent complete victory by an innings and 354 runs after bowling Northamptonshire out for 114 in their second innings, a clear indication of their complete dominance over the match.
Kent have pulled off an incredible triumph, completing a treble of victories over Northamptonshire in red-ball cricket. This victory is another big turnaround for the team, their second red-ball victory in their last 20 matches. Dudgeon has proven to be an immediate star for Kent, since debuting in English cricket.
At the end of the match, Kent remained unbeaten on 60 runs with George Bartlett at the crease, further emphasizing their strong performance throughout the game. Dudgeon’s contributions already have him well on his way to becoming one of the best signings in team history.
Adam Hollioake, head coach of Kent, praised the quality of the pitch, stating, “It wasn’t a two-and-a-half-day wicket, I thought the groundsman did a really good job – that for me was a nice four-day wicket, more of a 250 wicket in each innings.”
Northants head coach Darren Lehmann highlighted the challenges faced by his side, mentioning the need for improvement in batting performance. He remarked, “Bats cost about 500 quid – you’ve got to start using them.”
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