Kent dominated the opening day of their County Championship clash with Worcestershire at Canterbury on Sunday.

The visitors were bowled out for 133 after stand-in captain Zak Crawley won the toss. Kent then reached 184-4 in reply by stumps, a lead of 51.

Matt Milnes removed Daryl Mitchell with the fifth ball of the morning, caught by a diving Jordan Cox in the slips for four.

Milnes (4-35) then bowled Jake Libby for two before he had Tom Fell caught behind for three and Brett D’Oliveira lbw for one.

When Nathan Gilchrist bowled Jack Haynes for eight the visitors were reeling on 32-5.

Ed Barnard looked well set but he was caught behind off Darren Stevens for 25 to leave Worcestershire 54-6.

Joe Leach and Ben Cox steered Worcestershire to lunch, during which Milnes became the 220th Kent player to be awarded a county cap.

The visitors made a steady start to the afternoon session only for Gilchrist to take the final four wickets for 14 runs.

Leach’s off stump was pinged back for 38 and two balls later Josh Baker was bowled for a duck after a hideous leave. Dillon Pennington was then lbw for three and Adam Finch bowled for two, giving Gilchrist (5-38) his first five-wicket haul in red-ball cricket.

Kent’s reply started shakily with Pennington removing both openers cheaply, Crawley caught behind for four and Jordan Cox caught by Baker for one. Joe Denly was then lbw to Leach for nine and Kent were 22-3, but Leaning and Robinson put on 75 for the next wicket before the latter was caught behind off Pennington (3-39).

Stevens joined Leaning and steered Kent past Worcestershire’s first innings total before reaching his fifty with a single off Baker. The watchful Leaning cut Finch for four to reach his half-century, putting Kent in a dominant position at the end of day one.

Following the conclusion of India’s second innings at The Oval, Sam Billings has been released from England duty and will be able to bat, replacing Marcus O’Riordan in the Kent team.

On his career-best five-wicket haul, Gilchrist said: “It was a bit unexpected really. The conditions this morning were quite friendly to us and I think we used them really well.

"It seems like it’s been moving around quite a bit today, but I think as the sun was beating down on the wicket it got a bit flatter. Hopefully it’ll be similar tomorrow and we can cash in.

“Matt Milnes is bowling like Dale Steyn at the moment, you can’t stop him. He bowled really well again and all of us in the beginning were just a supporting act to him."

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