Kent’s bowlers ran riot on the opening day against Northamptonshire. They did this with an unwavering and controlled pressure and took an astonishing 17 wickets. The day’s proceedings took place at County Ground in Northampton, as both teams fought for control on an extremely windy day.
Continuing on from the previous game, Kent’s bowlers really set the tone from the first over. Stewart led a fearsome attack and took great advantage of a rather bemused George Bartlett with a catch behind to grant Stewart a spectacular fivefer. This early wicket was a sign of the pressure Kent would go on to create as the match wore on. First Leaning soon became a target of the same tactic. He overplayed his hand on the expensive line and was caught behind, the kind of wicket that epitomises the icy efficiency of Kent’s pace assault.
While Kent’s run rate never climbed too high, they created a consistent level of danger that made Mississauga’s scoreboard continue to move. Former Rep. Daniel Bell-Drummond was instrumental in this effort. A tentative prod at another wide one outside off-stump saw him caught behind to bring his innings to a close, handing Guthrie his second wicket of the day and Yorkshire 103-5. Kent’s batsmen prospered as they matched the best partnership of the innings at 100 for the third wicket. This well-complemented partnership laid a good platform for their chase.
It was Northants’ Weatherall, who caused the big moment to swing the momentum, making an astounding treble breakthrough. He quickly accounted for Sales, who swiped a catch to Evison at short midwicket. To his credit, Broad had dropped an even easier chance earlier in the game at third slip. Weatherall made the most of his opportunity and, with his first ball of the new over, he cleared the bails off Stewart’s stumps.
Continuing to have issues with the australian bowler, Crawley eventually fell to an in-swinger trying to chase it down with a big drive. Kent forced an inordinate amount of turnovers, leading to the pink slips. Their dominance resulted in a flurry of wickets as Northants found it impossible to get back on course.
Despite the setbacks, Dudgeon and Singh attempted to mount a late fightback, managing to add 34 runs for the ninth wicket. Their grit and determination gave Northants a momentary flicker of hope. Saif Zaib soon made amends as he wrapped up the innings by taking the last two wickets in consecutive balls. This emphatic send off was the frustrating end of Northants’ innings.
Lewis McManus was particularly aggressive, setting out his stall early and playing with a clear intent at the crease. He left in an even more uncharacteristic way than Sales, bowled by Evison again. Day three’s play ended with Kent very much on the front foot, their batting and bowling mounting up an impressive display of talent.
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