Kent's new signing Vernon Philander made a stunning debut but the Spitfires somehow lost a rain-shortened Friends Life t20 clash with Middlesex by four wickets on Friday night.

The Panthers won the toss and put Kent in to bat at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, but the match was hit by two rain delays which limited Kent to 15 overs in the middle and then the visitors to 12 in their reply.

Kent made 129-5 with Sam Billings - keeping wicket in the place of the rested Geraint Jones - and Darren Stevens scoring 26 apiece - Stevens' knock typically coming from 10 balls and including a six and four fours.

Philander made a nice cameo of 13 from seven balls with the bat, including a delicious glance over the keeper's head from the final delivery for four.

The South African then made an immediate impact with the ball with a superb wicket-maiden to open the innings, smashing Paul Stirling's stumps apart with the fourth ball of the over.

His second over was nearly as impressive, as he tempted former Kent man Joe Denly into nicking one fizzer behind, with Billings making a smart diving catch.

Despite Philander's 12th delivery being rattled away for six by Dawid Malan, the Capetonian got his revenge when he got Malan (18) to sky one to Mitch Claydon near the boundary and make it 27-3 from 4.3 overs.

Just two balls later Aussie Adam Voges drilled one straight to Stevens at mid-off to give Philander his fourth scalp for the concession of just eight runs.

Kent were firmly in the ascendancy with overs running out, with Middesex 35/4 after six overs, needing 76 more runs to win from the remaining half of their innings, however back-to-back sixes off James Tredwell from skipper and ex-Kent man Neil Dexter gave the visitors some momentum as 35 runs were added in the seventh and eighth overs.

Dexter went for 13, caught by Billings off Stevens after a wildly miscued shot, but 20-year-old keeper Adam Rossington produced a virtuoso display to see his side over the line.

Kent still looked favourites with three overs remaining and the visitors needing 36 to win, however 17 came off Matt Coles' first over and eight from the penultimate over from Claydon, meaning the Panthers needed 11 from Coles' final six deliveries to win.

Rossington hit the second ball for four and then brought up the victory with a six - his third - from the fourth ball to see Middlesex home with two balls to spare and finish with a 20-ball 41.