By Mark Stokes

Darren Stevens and Sam Northeast masterminded another terrific recovery as Kent pulled off an unlikely two-wicket win over Middlesex Panthers in a thrilling Clydesdale Bank 40 game at Canterbury.

Chasing the Middlesex total of 263, Kent were looking down the barrel at 56-3 before Stevens (65) and Azhar Mahmood (49) began the comeback by adding 90.

Stevens and Northeast then took up the cudgel and although Northeast was eighth out for 57 from the final ball of the penultimate over, Wahab Riaz and James Tredwell saw the job through.

Earlier, Riaz (pictured) had produced competition-best figures of 5-46 in 6.3 overs as Kent’s bowlers staged a remarkable comeback after being under the cosh for most of the Middlesex innings.

Led by Dawid Malan’s classy 107 the Panthers rattled along at nearly seven an over before Riaz and Mahmood, with a season’s best 4-52, led a spectacular Kent fightback which saw the visitors’ last eight wickets go down in the space of just 27 deliveries.

Middlesex batted after winning the toss and Martin van Jaarsveld sprang an early surprise by giving offspinner James Tredwell the second over.

The acting Kent skipper was on himself as early as the sixth over, but it was Mahmood who made the breakthrough, in the seventh over, inducing a thin edge from Scott Newman, who was caught by Geraint Jones for 11 at 23.

Paul Stirling then helped Malan bring up the Middlesex fifty in the 12th over, and they took just five more overs to raise three figures, with left-hander Malan going to his half-century off 56 balls, with six boundaries

The pair had taken their partnership to 107 when Stirling was smartly stumped by Jones off Simon Cook’s first delivery – a wide – just five shy of his half-century.

Malan was then joined by ex-Kent player Neil Dexter and they continued to keep the runs ticking over against the home side’s eight-man attack as they shared a third wicket partnership of 109.

Malan’s hundred came off 106 balls, but he had added just seven more runs when he was pinned leg before by Riaz, having hit nine fours and one six from 113 balls.

That left Middlesex on 239-3 but with Malan’s dismissal the middle and late order batsmen were simply blown away as Riaz, who conjured up a succession of fast unplayable yorkers to take four wickets in nine balls and all of his five in 17.

Chris Rogers (3) came and went quickly, caught by Jones off a skier to give Mahmood his second wicket at 245, and, after John Simpson (5) had fallen to another Riaz inswinger at 257, skipper Dexter’s enterprising knock ended when he holed out, in the same over to sub fielder Matt Coles for 58, made from 52 balls with seven fours.

With the score still on 260 Steve Crook (0) fell to an acrobatic catch above his head by Tredwell off Mahmood, who then had Tom Smith (1) caught round the corner by Riaz as he attempted to shovel the ball down the legside.

With his tail up Riaz then wrapped up the innings, spearing in yorkers to bowl Jamie Dalrymple (2) and Toby Roland-Jones (0) to leave him starting the next match on a hat-trick. The final six wickets went down for just six runs, but Kent will be disappointed to have conceded 30 extras, including 10 wides and eight no-balls.

Kent’s challenge looked to be over before it had begun when they lost three wickets inside the first dozen overs. Daniel Bell-Drummond – in only his third CB 40 start – was first to go, at 51, as he helped Crook to Chris Rogers at deep fine leg for 17, and in the next over, and with just four runs added, Denly’s poor run of luck with leg before decisions continued when he was given out for 28 by umpire Rob Bailey despite the ball from Roland-Jones (3-51) looking too high.

Worse was to follow, when, from only his fourth ball, acting skipper van Jaarsveld gave Crook his second wicket by picking out Malan at deep square to go without scoring.

Stevens and Mahmood then launched a recovery, adding 90 before man-of-the-match Mahmood fell leg before attempting to sweep Malan, for 49, made from 43 balls with four fours and a six.

Stevens cruised to his half-century from 42 balls and had made 65 from 54 balls (three fours, two sixes) when hit a low full toss from Dexter to Tim Murtagh at long on with the score at 195.

Northeast, who had helped Stevens add 49 for the fourth wicket, continued the fight even after he lost Geraint Jones (5), to a Crook’s fine diving catch, running in at long on off Roland-Jones, at 213.

Twenty three were required from the final 18 deliveries, but at 242, Adam Ball (19 from 13 balls) went caught behind driving off Roland-Jones. Kent wanted 15 from the final two overs and in the 39th, bowled by Murtagh, Northeast was dropped twice, first on 48, by Tom Smith, who helped the ball over the ropes for six, and then on 56 by Crook.

But his luck ran out from the final ball he cut the ball to Dexter at point, departing for 57 made from 46 balls with two fours and a six

With four wanted from the final over Riaz took three from the first two deliveries leaving the way for Tredwell to hit the winning run to clinch a thrilling victory.