Kent v Yorkshire day three

KENT could be set to land their third LV Championship win of the summer on Monday after dismissing Yorkshire for 196 on an action packed Sunday afternoon in Canterbury.

Having batted well to secure a valuable 57-run first innings lead, Kent took three Yorkshire wickets before tea on then seven more afterwards as Yorkshire slumped to 196 all out.

The hosts now have the entire final day of the game to score the 140 they need for a second straight championship win and their third in all.

Though he suffered a rare failure with the bat in this game, Martin van Jaarsveld had a hand in four of the first six wickets to fall as Kent, buoyed by limited overs success, continue their fight back in four-day cricket and their climb up the Division 1 table.

Tykes’ opener Andrew Lyth (8) followed a Yasir Arafat leg-cutter to edge a low chance that van Jaarsveld made look simple at second slip, then first innings century-maker Anthony McGrath (25) also snicked to van Jaarsveld off the bowling of Azhar Mahmood.

Just before tea Adam Gayle (36) edged an attempted cut off James Tredwell through to Geraint Jones, but Yorkshire’s capitulation in this game gathered pace after the interval as they lost five wickets inside 10 overs.

Gary Balance (5) was stunningly held one-handed by van Jaarsveld off Martin Saggers, then after a stand of 84 in 15 overs, Jacques Rudolph (47) snicked to Mahmood as Kent’s high standard of slip catching continued.

Gerard Brophy (51) worked across the line against Yasir Arafat to fall leg before and Robbie Joseph got in on the act by dismissing Adil Rashid and Tim Bresnan to two more stunning slip catches.

Rana Naved tossed away his own wicket in slashing a loose one from Arafat to point who then polished off the innings by having Deon Kruis wonderfully caught one-handed by Kemp at slip.

Arafat finished with 4-38 and Joseph 2-25 in a stunning performance by the in-form Kent attack.

Earlier in the day Kent captain Rob Key (157) and Arafat (90 not out) played vital, season’s best knocks to steer Kent 467 all out, their best first innings total of the summer, for a fifth batting bonus point.

Yorkshire took the second new ball at the start of the day and enjoyed immediate success when Tim Bresnan had Azhar Mahmood (23) caught behind after adding only two to his overnight score.

Key and Arafat teamed up for an excellent eighth-wicket stand worth 91 in 22 overs as both men counter-attacked some tight Yorkshire bowling.

Key reached his 150 from 258 balls and with 16 fours; it was the eighth time he had reached the milestone in his Kent career.

At the other end Arafat posted his second half-century of the summer from 62-balls and with 16 fours to help Kent to within four runs of their final batting point when the partnership finally ended.

Key on 157, shouldered arms and showed no interest in a ball wide of leg stump until it turned in to graze his leg stump.

Two runs later and Rashid had Robbie Joseph (2) caught at slip for the leg-spinner’s fifth wicket of the innings and his first five-wicket haul of the season.

At 398-9 there was a real danger Kent would miss out in the batting point, but Rashid’s next ball glanced off the pads of last man Martin Saggers and went for four leg byes to fine leg.

With the pressure off, Mahmood and Saggers went for their shots, Arafat moved to a season’s best 90 not out while Saggers clubbed three successive fours off Rashid in reaching 33 before edging an airy drive to the keeper.

Umpire Trevor Jesty was forced to stand at both ends throughout the morning session after his colleague Richard Kettleborough was taken ill overnight.

Canterbury-based Kent League umpire John Halliday stood in at square leg for the two hours and was then replaced by ECB reserve list official Terry Urben.

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