In the Vitality County Championship at Canterbury, Nottinghamshire crushed Kent by 10 wickets, guaranteeing their own survival while also sending the hosts into relegation.
Kent were bowled out for 230 in their second innings, with Jacob Duffy taking 4 for 60 and Robert Lord 3 for 42.
Nottinghamshire batted again after Joey Evison scored 42, but the visitors needed only 3.3 overs to chase down a target of just 23, with Ben Slater finishing at 22 not out and Haseeb Hameed undefeated at 6.
As long as Kent doesn’t lose in the next week’s final round of fixtures, their slim chances of surviving in the top tier are ended. Meanwhile, Notts will continue to play in the league.
Even their most pessimistic supporters—a title for which there is some rather fierce competition this season—would have found it difficult to envision a start as dismal as this one when Kent started day three on 85 for 0, still 123 behind.
Although the batting conditions were ideal, they lost Tawanda Muyeye for sixty runs on the sixth ball of the morning after he struck Duffy nearly vertically and was caught by Dane Schadendorf.
Ben Compton, the other opener, went out for 32 after being leg before wicket to Lyndon James, while Jack Leaning was caught behind for a third-ball duck after swishing at a short-pitched ball from Duffy.
After James was replaced by Lord at the Nackington Road end, Freddie McCann trapped Joe Denly in the slips for eight runs with his third delivery, and Duffy then hit Daniel Bell-Drummond’s off stump for a 21-run maximum. Schadendorf made an incredible one-handed grab to dismiss Harry Finch for a second-ball duck in the following over, the 31st.
When Matt Parkinson struck a boundary after reaching nine before being caught by McCann at leg slip by Farhan Ahmed, a lone voice on the Old Dover Road sang, “We will make you bat again,” to the tune of “Bread of Heaven.” At least his confidence was rewarded.
Notts, who had started the day at an over rate of minus four, used spin bowling from both ends to tie the score before lunch, after which Kent had reduced the margin to only twelve.
After Evison swept Ahmed to tie the score, Jordan hit Duffy for six to extend their partnership to fifty. However, Ahmed got Jordan out for 32 the next ball, and Duffy dismissed Nathan Gilchrist for a third-ball duck.
After Evison’s strike, there was a sterile exchange of play between the fielders staying on the boundary. However, as soon as Lord came back from the Pavilion end, he had him caught at point.
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The last uncertainty remained over the duration it would take Notts to score runs, and Slater accomplished it with elegance by hitting Jordan for six.
Kent scores three points, and Notts wins 23.
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