MATCH REPORT: Lancashire suffer 140-run defeat against Kent
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Hasan Mahmud took a career-best 6-69 as Kent defeated Lancashire by 140 runs inside three days in the Rothesay County Championship match at Blackpool.
Marcus Harris provided the main resistance with an unbeaten 91 in Lancashire’s second innings 283 all out, sharing a century partnership with Keaton Jennings (61) while Liam Livingstone made 47.
But Bangladesh international Mahmud, who claimed nine wickets in the match, produced some fast, impressive spells to help Kent win their third match of the season and take 19 points from the match, with Lancashire’s third defeat bringing 3 points.
Kent added 12 runs to their second innings score at the start of the day to be 332 all out, with James Anderson and Tom Bailey snapping up the two remaining wickets to leave Lancashire needing a record 424 runs to win in nearly two days.
Harry Singh (15) and Josh Bohannon (26) both fell to slips catches off Mahmud to leave Lancashire 58-2 but an excellent partnership of 104 between Jennings and Harris revived the innings either side of lunch.
Jennings progressed steadily, hitting just two fours in reaching his half century from 95 balls while Harris, fortunate to survive a stumping chance off Matt Parkinson from his fourth ball faced, settled in to assist the rebuild.
A fascinating battle developed between the two batters and the two Kent spinners, Parkinson and Bertie Foreman during the afternoon with Jennings and Harris determined not to let either spinner settle.
They won that particular duel, raising their hundred partnership from 140 balls with Harris following Jennings to a half century from 77 balls, with 7 fours.
But Lancashire were rocked by a double blow in the middle of the afternoon when Jennings gloved a short ball from Mahmud down the leg side that was taken by wicketkeeper Chris Benjamin diving to his right.
That was followed by the run out of Ben McDermott for 0 when he was beaten by the throw from Sam Northeast at point attempting a quick single with Lancashire suddenly 162-4.
Livingstone made a quick start taking three fours off Mahmud and contributing 38 to the fifty partnership with Harris that arrived on the stroke of tea with Lancashire halfway to their target on 216-4.
The Red Rose side then suffered their second double-blow of the day early in the evening session when Mahmud bowled Livingstone for 47 and had Joe Moores caught down the leg side in the space of three deliveries.
Balderson gave Mahmud his sixth wicket when edging to third slip and the spinners wrapped things up with Parkinson trapping Aspinwall lbw, and Foreman bowling Bailey and ending the game when catching Anderson off his own bowling leaving Harris nine short of his century.
“I think we did well with the ball first up but if we're brutally honest with ourselves, we were slow into the first session, we came back really well,” said Head Coach Steven Croft.
“Maybe (we could have) shaved a few off their first innings and obviously do better in our first innings batting and make it a one-innings game.
“We knew the wicket was going to get better and then it's a one-inning shootout. The 87 all out obviously didn't help.
“I think the wicket caught both sides cold a bit. The pitch did a little bit that first day.
“I think it was a mix of some good bowling, some average batting. The game really accelerated in that first day and a half.
“We were slow out of the blocks once again, which is an area we've said time and time again we need to improve on.
“We fought back well throughout the game, but we had a big hill to climb from the start.
“We didn't stem the flow, losing those wickets in clumps and not getting a partnership together.
“We felt that second innings, the pitch was better to bat on. It felt like we had a real premium on every wicket and every partnership. Yes, it was laid out in front of us to try and win a game, but I think we have to have that same intent in the first innings with the bat to lay out a game and set a platform to go off.
“Like I said, they weren't easy conditions to bat in and they bowled well, but we should have done some better stuff with the bat.
“Obviously some injuries haven't helped, there's a change of personnel. It's been hard to get a settled line-up, but that's cricket, there's always going to be injuries.
“We need to step up to the plate and put some runs and wickets and partnerships on the board and just take it up with one ball at a time. We're falling behind in games very fast and find it hard to claw our way back into it.”
“Going into the game, it was an exciting line-up to put out there. Livi coming back in is a real help for us.
“He could have been anywhere in the world right now, but he's right here playing for us. Ben (McDermott), helped us out as well. He didn't have the four-day stuff on his card before this trip.
“A great debut for Moorsey, it was well deserved. But, yes, there's been a little bit of change around, but again, one that we still felt we should still be competing with the big teams.”
Ken Grime
Photos: Luke Adams & Dan Adams
