Crawley century has Kent eyeing big first innings

Zak Crawley's century led Kent to 398 for 4 on day one of their LV= Insurance County Championship fixture with Nottinghamshire at Canterbury.

Crawley cashed in after being dropped when he was on two, making 158 from 153 balls and hitting three sixes before he was caught and bowled by Calvin Harrison, who was Notts' most potent bowler, claiming 2 for 104.

Daniel Bell-Drummond was Kent's next highest corer with 60 while Jack Leaning and Harry Finch were unbeaten on 54 and 42 respectively at stumps.

Kent were barely recognisable from the side that lost by 321 runs at Trent Bridge in July. Of the seven changes, Crawley was back from England duty and there were debuts for spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Aron Nijjar, signed on-loan from Essex.

The major talking point, however, was the ongoing absence of club captain Sam Billings.

Billings had taken a break from red-ball cricket earlier in the season and although he was included in the squad, Leaning remained captain and Finch retained the gloves.

Nottinghamshire handed a debut to Sri Lanka's Asitha Fernando, just 24 hours after he'd arrived in the UK and on a day when the temperature in Canterbury was 30 degrees, the same as in his native Katuneriya.

It looked like a vital toss to win and after choosing to bat Kent's openers put on 95 in a partnership of almost diametrically opposed styles.

Crawley played like he was still in Ashes mode, riding his luck at times on a surface that wasn't as dead as it initially appeared. He was put down by Dane Paterson at point in just the second over and responded by cracking Brett Hutton for four consecutive fours in the third.

He punched his way past 50 when he straight-drove Paterson for four while Ben Compton, after one expansive early effort, Geoffrey Boycotted his way to 18 before he was bowled trying to reverse sweep Calvin Harrison, four minutes before lunch.

Crawley brought up his century off 100 balls when he nudged Lyndon James to point for a single and reached 150 when he pulled Fernando for one through fine leg before Harrison somehow clung onto a violent drive to remove him.

Bell-Drummond was out to the very next delivery when he tried to hook Fernando and went to an acrobatic grab by keeper Tom Moores, but Tawanda Muyeye pulled the final ball of the afternoon session for six to leave the hosts on 260 for 3 at tea.

Muyeye and Leaning put on 59 for the next wicket, before the former went for 35. Having edged Steven Mullaney for four he ran out of luck when he nicked the next ball to Harrison at slip, but Finch joined Leaning to earn Kent a third batting point and the skipper brought up his half-century when he flicked Mullaney to third man for four in the penultimate over.