van Jaarsveld heaven-sent for Kent

Kent 270 (van Jaarsveld 114*, Saqlain Mushtaq 5-79) and 166 for 5 (van Jaarsveld 70*, Stevens 63) need another 92 runs to beat Surrey 397 and 130 (Newman 72, van Jaarsveld 5-33, Tredwell 3-35)
Scorecard

Martin van Jaarsveld produced the kind of all-round day that would have England salivating if it came from Andrew Flintoff, as Kent turned the tables on Surrey at The Oval. Kent started the day simply trying to reduce a hefty deficit but they closed it 92 runs from victory with five wickets in hand and van Jaarsveld at the crease on 70 and Geraint Jones on 5.

van Jaarsveld was almost singlehandedly responsible for the turnaround, although he had some assistance late in the day from Darren Stevens (63) as they compiled a 95-run stand that rescued Kent from 28 for 3 chasing 258. Earlier, van Jaarsveld claimed a scarcely believable career-best 5 for 33 as Surrey capitulated for 130, and even earlier again he had completed his second century of the season as Kent lost their final three first-innings wickets to finish with 270 and avoid the follow on.

After the first two days brought 17 wickets on a flat pitch, the tally of 18 breakthroughs on the third day might have suggested to those not at the venue that overnight a confused groundsman had accidentally run over the pitch with a plough. In fact the surface was not that bad; certainly there was plenty of turn but as Scott Newman and then van Jaarsveld himself proved, runs were still available if the batsmen applied themselves.

The tight contest had been set up by the bowling of van Jaarsveld, who in 191 previous first-class appearances had not managed more than two wickets in an innings and had not been called upon at all this season. But bowling his offspinners in tandem with the more familiar tweaker James Tredwell, van Jaarsveld soon discovered it was to be his day.

Playing further back than he needed to against the gentle slow bowling, Matthew Spriegel stepped into his stumps while working the ball through the leg side, handing van Jaarsveld his first wicket. Then came Mark Ramprakash, who must have thought the cricketing gods were smiling on him as he continued to search for that 100th first-class century that has eluded him for nearly two months.

Here he was at his home ground, facing a part-time offspinner on a pitch that looked innocuous enough, with his team nearly 200 in front. But perhaps too eager for that milestone knock, Ramprakash got slightly ahead of himself and tried to go over midwicket first ball, instead lobbing a catch straight to Ryan McLaren.

Finding himself in the middle of a van Jaarsveld hat-trick would have provided Ramprakash with a career lowlight at the same time as he was looking for an all-time highlight. Fortunately for him van Jaarsveld's next delivery was safely wide of off stump and left alone by Jonathan Batty.

But the first-innings centurion Batty soon risked being another hat-trick contributor when he was bowled trying to drive a big-turning Tredwell delivery through the off side and was followed next delivery by Usman Afzaal. Again the hat-trick was not to be, but Surrey were soon 78 for 6 when Abdul Razzaq padded up outside off to van Jaarsveld.

All this time Newman, who had belted Yasir Arafat into submission in the early overs, cruised and registered a comfortable half-century. As if to confirm in his own mind that it wasn't really that hard, he lofted Tredwell beautifully over his head for six and must have wondered what his team-mates were finding so difficult. But he did have a life on 55, dropped at slip by Justin Kemp off Tredwell, and he was finally trapped lbw by van Jaarsveld.

The scoreboard proved what a one-man show it had been for Surrey. When Newman was out for 72, his side was 99 for 7. From there a steady descent was inevitable and despite a late 20 from Chris Schofield, Surrey could only manage to set Kent 258 to win. It was a target that by the end of the day looked distinctly gettable.