Northants power into lead on day of four centurions
Draw on the cards at Canterbury as visitors overhaul imposing first-innings total of 566
ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay
01-Jul-2025 • 4 hrs ago
Saif Zaib was one of several centurions in Northants' reply • Getty Images
Northamptonshire 624 for 6 (Zaib 150*,Harrison 122, Broad 107, Vasconcelos 100) lead Kent 566 for 8 dec (Bell-Drummond 158, Finch 118, Guthrie 3-92) by 58 runs
Bat continued to dominate ball on day three of the Rothesay County Championship match between Kent and Northamptonshire at Canterbury, with Saif Zaib, Calvin Harrison, Justin Broad and Ricardo Vasconcelos all making centuries as the visitors closed on 624 for six, a lead of 58.
Zaib was unbeaten on 150, Harrison hit 122 and Broad was 107 not out at stumps. Earlier Vasconcelos made exactly 100 and Tim Robinson weighed in with 55.
It was another sapping day for the bowlers but Jaydn Denly took his first red-ball wickets at the Spitfire Ground, finishing with two for 107.
The temperature was already 27 degrees in the shade when Northants resumed on 140 for one and the overnight batters quickly reached their milestones.
Harrison, 41 overnight, drove Nathan Gilchrist to reach his half-century and Vasconcelos, who'd ended day two on 87, took a single from Joey Evison to reach three figures, but he was then out, caught behind off Wes Agar.
When it was Harrison's turn to rack up his hundred he did it in style, heaving Matt Parkinson for six over mid-wicket and seeing the visitors through to 255 for two at lunch.
An apparently dead game was briefly reignited when Parkinson had Harrison caught at mid on by Denly and James Sales was then brilliantly run out by Nathan Gilchrist and Harry Finch for 41: Robinson narrowly avoided getting caught by Ekansh Singh at short leg but hared down the track looking for a single that wasn't there.
Singh, however, couldn't take an ankle-high chance offered by Zaib when he was on nine and Robinson eased to 50 with a single off Parkinson.
Denly claimed his first first-class wicket at the Spitfire Ground when he had Robinson lbw but Zaib reverse swept his for four to bring up his half-century in his next over and it was 416 for five at tea.
Denly struck again in the second over after the resumption to get Lewis McManus caught and bowled for 13, but Zaib eased to three figures. He'd reached 99 when Kent brought the field in and then swept Tawanda Muyeye for six over square leg.
Broad drove Denly to put Northants into the lead and took a single from the same bowler to reach three figures in the 130th over. Rain is forecast for swathes of day four, but if it stays away the visitors might yet make life awkward for Kent.
