Kent vs Middlesex: Cricket Thriller on Opening Day

On a day when 16 wickets fell, Kent fought back to reach 172-6 at stumps in their County Championship match with Middlesex at Canterbury, trailing by 50.

Jack Davies' unbeaten 47 was the highlight for Middlesex, as they scratched their way to 222 all out, Nathan Gilchrist taking 3-43 and debutant Kashif Ali, occasionally wearing a Dennis Lillee-style headband, claiming 3-60.

But Davies' ninth-wicket partnership of 63 with Blake Cullen was already looking crucial as Middlesex ran through Kent's top order.

England's Zak Crawley continued to struggle as he went for a fourth ball duck, lbw to Toby Roland-Jones and Cullen took 3-51 to help reduce Kent to 79-6 before Harry Finch and Grant Stewart rallied the home side, finishing unbeaten on 49 and 46 respectively.

Kent had prepared a lime green wicket for the benefit of Keith Dudgeon, who'd taken eight wickets in last week's rout of Northants, but even though he was injured in training on Thursday they had no hesitation in choosing to bowl.

The South African was replaced by Kashif, while Middlesex drafted in Stephen Eskinazi in place of Sam Robson.

A crowd of over 1,200 watched a morning session that was played out to a constant chorus of groans from the home fielders, with almost every delivery troubling the batters.

Nathan Fernandes made just four before Gilchrist sent his off stump cartwheeling and Stewart then cleaned up Eskinazi for 14 in almost identical fashion.

Leus Du Plooy ground out 25 before charging down the wicket to Kashif and getting caught behind. Middlesex, however, made it to 89-3 at lunch.

Gilchrist then took charge, getting Ryan Higgins in the second over of the afternoon, caught behind for 14, and Max Holden for 26.

Ben Geddes (13) skied Jas Singh to Joey Evison at backward point and Zafar Gohar was bowled by Kashif for 11, playing on middle, when the ball pitched on off and hit.

Roland-Jones went in almost identical fashion. He was put down twice by Ben Compton at short-leg in the 45th over, only to lose his off stump to Kashif's final delivery.

That left Middlesex on 150-8, but Cullen and Davies responded with a stand that was only broken when Singh bowled the former for 33.

The next ball to Henry Brookes was nearly caught by Finch but ended up flying through the slip cordon for four. Brookes, however, added just another single before he nicked Stewart to Jack Leaning.

The suspicion that 222 might be a useful score deepened when Roland-Jones hit Crawley plum on the knee-roll of his back pad. Daniel Bell-Drummond then went for six, shouldering arms to Higgins.

Tawanda Muyeye followed for a combative 29, nicking Cullen to Eskinazi at first slip, but Leaning lasted just three balls before Brookes had him caught behind.

Joey Evison drove his first ball from Cullen for four and was caught behind off the next and Ben Compton was strangled for 32 to the same combination.

At that point it looked like the hosts might subside for under three figures but Stewart led the counter-attack, hitting Roland-Jones back over his head for six and edging Kent closer to parity by stumps.

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