Kent Spitfires v Glamorgan Dragons

Spitfires star Azhar Mahmood lived up to his ‘signing of the season’ tag with another stunning all-round performance that inspired Kent’s 59-run win under the Duckworth/ Lewis method in Sunday’s NatWest Pro40 match with Glamorgan at a gloomy St Lawrence.

Mahmood was the clear man-of-the match after top-scoring and taking three Dragons’ wickets in the space of five balls as Kent restricted the visitors to 131-9 when rain arrived for the fourth and final time to finish the game and leave Kent with two wins from as many Division 2 starts.

In a game reduced to 36 overs a side, former Pakistan and Surrey player Mahmood, who signed for Kent in the close season, clubbed four huge sixes in a sizzling 68 as Kent rallied from a poor start and three short stoppages for light rain to post a respectable 202-9.

His 51-ball stay was the outstanding feature of a seventh-wicket stand with Ryan McLaren (27) that added a crucial 75 in 12.2 overs.

Opening the innings in fine drizzle, Kent lost Joe Denly (9) and Rob Key (13), but partially re-grouped through Martin van Jaarsveld (22) and Matt Walker (30) in a fourth wicket partnership of 52.

But then Walker, like Key before him, deflected the ball onto his own stumps when attempting to cut and four overs later van Jaarsveld drove at a wide one to be caught behind.

Geraint Jones (2), in trying to open the face and steer a straight ball down to third man, lost his off stump to Robert Croft and at 92-5 Kent looked in distinct trouble.

Mahmood marched in to play the innings of the day with a six that scattered a few drinks on the Kent committee room balcony then another that landed next to the players' balcony.

Neil Dexter's useful cameo 21 came to an end when Dean Cosker pegged back his off stump then, in the late rush for runs, Kent lost three wickets in the final over bowled by Andy Harris.

Mahmood holed out to long-off, Ryan McLaren (27) was bowled by a yorker while Simon Cook (2) swung and missed to lose his middle stump, leaving Glamorgan to chase a revised Duckworth/Lewis total of 202 from 36 overs for victory.

The Welsh county’s hopes of chasing down the runs looked bleak within nine overs as they slid to 35-4 after a treble wicket maiden from Mahmood.

Robbie Joseph had removed Dragons’ pinch-hitter Robert Croft off a skier then Mahmood removed three more in the space of five balls.

Richard Grant (13) was superbly caught at second slip by van Jaarsveld, Jamie Dalrymple (0) had his stumps rearranged then Tom Maynard (0) went leg before leaving Glamorgan with a mountain to climb.

After a fifth-wicket stand worth 43, Michael Powell (15) chipped a catch to Walker at long-on from a Simon Cook slower ball then, three overs later, Mark Wallace ran past a turning delivery from James Tredwell to gift Geraint Jones a simple stumping with his score on 12.

With 11 overs to go Dragons needed 102 for victory and had only four wickets in hand, but the scenario got much worse when Harris (2) walked across his stumps when aiming to leg to go leg before to Tredwell

David Harrison (2) gave Tredwell a third wicket when he too danced down the pitch to be stumped leaving only Ben Wright, with a 68-ball 50, to show sustained resistance.

After two big sixes he lost his middle stump to Ryan McLaren bringing in last man Jason Gillespie, who was forced to bat with Wallace as a runner because of a hamstring strain.

After a couple of lusty blows his bravery proved all in vain when, with 34 balls of the game remaining, the rain returned to take the players from the field for a fourth time with Glamorgan on 131-9.

The scorers Jack Foley and Andrew Hignell were left to calculate the winning margin under the Duckworth/ Lewis method once the game was abandoned at 7pm.

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