Durham v Kent day two

Kent are hoping their vice-captain and senior batsman Martin van Jaarsveld will survive long enough on day three to lead them to a remarkable victory in an extraordinary match at the Riverside.

After 15 wickets fell on day one to attract an ECB Pitch Panel enquiry, a further 23 went on the second day as batsmen from both sides struggled to defend against exaggerated lateral movement off the wicket.

Chasing 177 to win – the highest total of the match – Kent made a disastrous start when two wickets fell in the first three balls of the fourth innings and, when bad light stopped play at 6pm, the visitors were on the rocks at 116-8 with van Jaarsveld unbeaten on 46.

To only the second ball of the innings Joe Denly found a leading edge to the chip back a return catch to bowler Graham Onions, who then hit Amjad Khan on the boot with a near yorker that sent him packing for a first-ball duck.

Khan had been promoted to pinch-hit the side toward an unlikely win and Kent continued the policy by promoting Ryan McLaren to go for his shots at No4.

He and Rob Key (16) added 34 before Key was sent packing leg before by umpire Tim Robinson, a decision that left Key bemused and bowler Liam Plunkett delighted.

McLaren and Martin van Jaarsveld added 62 in 11 overs for the fourth wicket, the highest stand of the match, but McLaren (44) played late on a drive against Mark Davies and edged behind to the keeper.

Van Jaarsveld, who clattered 18 off an over from Onions, raised Kent’s 100 with a cover drive for four off Thorp but soon after Matt Walker (2) clipped firmly to mid-wicket against Davies only to see Mark Stoneman take a good two-handed catch diving to his right.

In the next over Neil Dexter (2) aimed to drive a full ball from Thorp but was given out caught behind by umpire Robinson. Like Key before him Dexter also trudged off shaking his head believing his bat had snicked the ground rather than the ball.

At 106-6 and in fast fading light Kent were in dire need of some no frills batting but, with his score on two, Geraint Jones pushed defensively at Davies and edged through to counterpart Mustard.

Robbie Joseph spanked his first ball for four over the head of Davies, but the bowler had his revenge next ball up with a leg-cutter that darted off the surface and took the edge for another catch to Mustard.

With van Jaarsveld unbeaten on 46 and James Tredwell yet to face a ball, the officials finally decided the light was too bad to continue and took the players from the park with Kent needing a further 61 to win with only two wickets in hand.

In the mid-session, a career-best wickets haul of 6-32 from revitalized pace bowler Robbie Joseph hauled Kent back into victory contention as Durham were rolled over for 108 in 41.2 overs in their second innings.

It took the wicket-tally to 30 in five sessions as Durham, batting again with a first innings lead of 68, succumbed in just under three hours

McLaren also starred with the ball, running through the Durham tail with 3-23 in a 10.2 over stint that also accounted for opener Michael Di Venuto – one of only two men in this game to date to pass 20 in both innings.

But it was Joseph, generating good pace from the Lumley End, who most caught the eye with his first six-wicket haul for the club, four of which were taken in the slip and keeper cordon. At Joseph's pace any movement off the seam proved deadly.

Earlier Kent recorded their lowest ever county championship total against Durham after being dismissed inside 40 overs for a paltry 78.

Little-known seam bowlers Thorp and Davies took four and five wickets respectively after extracting plenty of seam movement off a pitch that will be subject to an ECB Pitch Panel hearing tonight.

The visitors lost their last five wickets inside 70 minutes while adding 35 runs, 19 of those were in a last-wicket stand worth 19 between McLaren and Joseph, which was the highest partnership of the Kent first innings.

Resuming on their overnight total of 43-5 Kent's collapse continued three overs into the second day when van Jaarsveld (8) was given leg before to seamer Davies to one that cut back into the right-hander to hit him above the knee roll of his pad and probably outside the line of off stump.

Three overs later James Tredwell (8) prodded uncertainly forward at Thorp to also go lbw to one that jagged into him off the pitch.

There was no such mitigation for Jones (7), his eyes light up when Davies bowled to him wide outside off stump but Jones edged his attempted drive to Mustard's right.

The demise continued when Khan (0) was run out after a running mix-up with McLaren.

McLaren's back-foot force was well parried by Smith at cover but Khan fancied a single from the misfield, McLaren sent him back but Khan was given run out by umpire Holder.

Kent's misery was complete when McLaren (6), again punching off the back foot, chopped on against Thorp to leave Kent facing a 68-run first innings deficit.

Joseph remained unbeaten on 14, one of only two men to have limped into double figures as Kent recorded the second lowest total by any county against Durham.

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