Blistering Bell-Drummond fires Kent to sixth straight win
Kent 228 for 3 (Bell-Drummond 111, Muyeye 50) Middlesex 173 (Hollman 48, Linde 3-21, Evison 3-25, Stewart 3-35) by 55 runs
A superb 111 from Daniel Bell-Drummond and a Grant Stewart hat-trick helped the Kent Spitfires to an emphatic 55-run win over Middlesex within the Vitality Blast at Canterbury.
Bell-Drummond’s joyous innings lasted 58 balls and included 4 sixes as for the second consecutive night Middlesex shipped method in extra of 200. Kent posted 228 for 3, however having shocked Surrey with a Blast-record run chase the earlier night, this time Middlesex subsided to 173 all out, with George Linde and Joey Evison additionally claiming three wickets apiece. Luke Hollman was the guests’ prime scorer with 48 from 20 balls, however the required price grew to become unmanageable they usually had been all out with an over to spare.
The Spitfire Ground was offered out on a sweltering Friday night time, with over 5,000 packed in to observe the hosts, resurgent after 5 consecutive wins, tackle a Middlesex aspect who had been nonetheless backside of the South Group, regardless of Thursday night time’s miracle.
An early likelihood went begging when Tawanda Muyeye, who was on 8, holed out to Toby Greatwood, just for Hollman to overlook an over-the-shoulder catch. Muyeye smote the following ball for six and the openers placed on a stand of 127 earlier than he was bowled by Josh de Caires for 50.
The run-rate slowed barely and Joe Denly was on 12 when Martin Andersson missed a tough likelihood to catch him off Hollman, but it surely picked up once more as Bell-Drummond reached his second Blast century with a basic cowl drive for 4 off Greatwood and when Ryan Higgins’ seventeenth over solely went for 3 it felt like a minor triumph for the guests.
Bell-Drummond was one wanting his greatest Blast rating when he hoicked Max Harris to Jack Davies at sq. leg and he departed to a standing ovation.
Denly went for 30 driving Higgins to Andersson at lengthy on however Sam Billings smashed 22 off the ultimate over, that means Middlesex had conceded precisely the identical variety of runs they did every week in the past when Kent received the reverse fixture at Lord’s.
Hopes of a second miracle in 24 hours dimmed when the primary three overs went for simply six and Joe Cracknell swept Linde to Bell-Drummond within the fourth. Although Max Holden initially carried on the place he had left off towards Surrey, with 10 off his first two balls, he was bowled for 11, taking part in on to Evison.
Linde then took two wickets within the eighth over: Higgins performed on to the primary ball earlier than John Simpson fell to a diving catch by Evison on the boundary. Stephen Eskinazi went for 32, flicking Evison to Grant Stewart and Davies rattled off a fast 24 earlier than he was lbw to the identical bowler.
Hollman and de Caires went down combating, plundering 23 from Michael Hogan’s 14th over and placing on 60 for the seventh wicket, however a nightmarish sixteenth over for Stewart ended with Hollman caught within the deep by Jordan Cox off the tenth and closing supply.
At the beginning of his subsequent over Stewart had de Caires caught on the boundary by Jack Leaning and the bowler’s redemption was full when Harris was taken simply contained in the rope by Cox.
The rout was sealed when Greatwood chipped Agar to Evison and Kent, having appeared useless and buried little greater than a fortnight in the past, stand each likelihood of reaching the knock-out levels.