Daniel Bell-Drummond breaks century drought to lead Kent fightback

Kent skipper Daniel Bell-Drummond led his side's fightback by posting his first red-ball hundred in over a year on the second day of their Rothesay County Championship clash against Middlesex at Lord's.

Bell-Drummond, who averaged single figures this season going into Kent's second innings, finished unbeaten on 103 as his side progressed to 226 for 4 - a lead of 117 - when bad light ended play.

He shared a second-wicket stand of 109 with England's Zak Crawley, who was dropped at second slip off Dane Paterson on three and recovered to score 68, his third half-century of the season.

Middlesex failed to gather any batting bonus points earlier in the day, with Ryan Higgins top-scoring on 54 as they lost their last six wickets for 61 and were bowled out for 238.

The home side began the day with a 29-run advantage and Higgins soon advanced to his second successive half-century, swishing George Garrett through the vacant second slip region for four.

But, having stretched their overnight partnership to 81, Higgins and Ben Geddes departed within the space of three balls - Joey Evison judging a catch in the deep perfectly to remove Geddes before Garrett castled Higgins with a beauty that hit the top of middle stump.

It needed a robust stand of 42 between Jack Davies and Toby Roland-Jones to extend the hosts' lead into three figures as Davies pulled Evison for the game's first six and struck Matt Parkinson for successive boundaries.

However, the leg-spinner tempted Davies to drive again, pouching a return catch that sandwiched Evison's dismissals of Roland-Jones and Henry Brookes to wrap up Middlesex's innings.

That left Kent to negotiate five overs before lunch - and Crawley was fortunate to do so, his third delivery looping off a leading edge to fall just short of point before Sam Robson spilled the chance to dismiss him in the next over.

Robson made amends by snapping up Ben Compton's edge at head height off Roland-Jones, but that was Middlesex's sole success until mid-afternoon as the clouds dispersed and the visitors capitalised on the improved batting conditions.

Bell-Drummond gradually settled into the groove, pulling a short ball from Brookes to the rope to raise his 50 partnership with Crawley, who adopted a merciless approach towards anything wide from the seamers.

The 27-year-old drove confidently on both sides of the wicket, dispatching a loose delivery from Higgins to the cover fence to reach his third half-century of the campaign from 62 balls as Kent wiped out their first-innings arrears.

Paterson finally achieved the breakthrough, bringing one back down the slope to pin Crawley on his back leg shortly before Bell-Drummond passed 50, hammering a Roland-Jones half-volley to the boundary.

Tawanda Muyeye fell soon after tea, lbw prodding at Higgins and there was a scratchy start for Jack Leaning, caught on the shoulder by a ball from Roland-Jones that reared up just after his inside edge had zipped narrowly over the stumps for four.

Leaning's innings ended when he skied an attempted pull to mid-on before his successor as Kent captain chalked up a 19th first-class century from 168 balls - albeit in untidy fashion, slicing Paterson just over the slip fielder's head for four.

That boundary came just in time for Bell-Drummond, with umpires Rob Bailey and Anthony Harris taking the teams off the field three balls later.