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Tournament’s leading wicket-taker says if England play their best they can beat Australia in the final on Sunday

Valkerie Baynes01-Apr-20221:20

Sarah Taylor: Ecclestone is probably the best bowler in the world

Clinching five must-win games to earn the right to defend the World Cup is one thing. Beating Australia – the undefeated, overwhelming favourites who recently thrashed you in a bilateral series – is quite another. But Sophie Ecclestone believes doing just that would be the “perfect end to the season” for England and that her team is capable of pulling off such an upset.”Beating the Aussies in the final, I can’t really put it into words after the Ashes we had,” she said. “I really believe in this group and on our day we can definitely beat the Aussies – we’ve got a great chance.”I know if we play our best cricket and our batters bat the way they can and the bowlers bowl the way they can, we’ve got such a great unit as a team, so we’ll just focus on ourselves and do the best we can.”Ecclestone, the left-arm spinner, went wicketless and conceded 77 runs off her 10 overs when England lost by 12 runs to Australia in the group stage. But she has been instrumental in a remarkable turnaround that saw England qualify for the World Cup final having lost their first three matches.Her career-best 6 for 36 against South Africa – which included her maiden international five-for – has Ecclestone sitting atop the tournament’s leading wicket-takers’ list with 20 at an average of 12.85 and economy rate of 3.40.Still just 22 years old, Ecclestone’s team-mates often say they forget how young she is, given how long she has been a mainstay of the England side. She has already played nearly 100 white-ball matches for her country and four Tests and was first named as the ICC’s No. 1 T20I bowler at the age of 20. During this World Cup she overtook Jess Jonassen, her opposite number in the Australian camp, as No. 1 ODI bowler.Sophie Ecclestone picked up her maiden ODI five-wicket haul in the semi-final against South Africa•Getty Images

But a global title has eluded her. A member of the England side which finished runners-up to Australia at the 2018 T20 World Cup and the side which watched India advance at the T20 World Cup when their semi-final was washed out in Sydney two years ago, this is Ecclestone’s first appearance at a 50-over World Cup.”It’s absolutely massive for me personally,” Ecclestone said of reaching Sunday’s final in Christchurch. “I haven’t won a major trophy yet since I started playing for England and I’d really love to win that sooner rather than later. It’s also massive for the group – we’ve shown how good we can be and the girls showed in the 2017 World Cup how good we are. Hopefully we can go out and play our best cricket to prove the side we are.”Ecclestone is a fierce competitor, enjoying a battle with formidable South Africa seamer Shabnim Ismail during the semi-final. It started when Ecclestone hit Ismail for three consecutive fours in the final over of England’s innings, apparently turned verbal when Ismail bowled her with the last ball and ended with a cheeky finger-to-lips “shush” gesture from Ecclestone when Ismail became one of her six wickets.”There were a few verbals when I got out, it was all fun and games on the pitch,” Ecclestone said. “I wanted to get even, so it was quite nice off the pitch afterwards, it’s all fine now. It’s great to have that battle on the pitch and to be fine off the pitch.”To get that first five-for and to bowl as well as I am at the minute, I feel great and have a lot of rhythm, it’s a great feeling for me. I didn’t have a great day out against the Aussies, I think it’s fair to say. To come back the way I did, I’m really proud of myself. The team has fought back as well, it’s been amazing to witness that.”England will likely field five members of their 2017 champion side against Australia, against whom they failed to register a win during their multi-format Ashes series immediately before travelling to New Zealand.Ecclestone put England’s turnaround after that and their poor start to the World Cup down to adopting a fearless attitude when they had nothing to lose.”When we lost three from three, there were a few tears in the changing room after the game, everyone was very disappointed with how we’d gone,” she said. “But I think the turning point was having a few meetings to just say that we had nothing to lose now, so just put what we do in training out into a game and go out with no fear. We still haven’t played our best cricket, so to get through to the final without playing our best cricket is obviously so good to see from this group.”Now, with the World Cup to lose, England will need “no fear” more than ever.

It’s taken him time to get to international cricket, and on Sunday, he showed that he belonged there

Danyal Rasool08-Nov-2020Usman Qadir just couldn’t get an international game. Until this series. Until today. This second T20I against Zimbabwe might be the occasion Qadir looks back on as the one that made him a serious spin option for the national team in short-format cricket.there was a brief period where the possibility of representing that side didn’t appear unrealistic; his international prospects in Pakistan seemed bleak at any rate. That soon petered out, though, and last year, out of nowhere, seemingly, head coach and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq brought him in from the cold to tour Australia. He never got a game, though, and when he was picked for the third T20I against Bangladesh in January, it was rained off before the toss could be had. On that rain-soaked day, Qadir’s drought continued.When Shadab Khan was ruled out of the ODI series against Zimbabwe because of an ankle injury, it looked like that would be the format Qadir would make his debut in. But Pakistan went with Imad Wasim as the spin frontman, and just the pacers for the final ODI. Finally, belatedly, when he was handed his Pakistan debut in the first T20I, figures of 3-0-24-1 barely caused any ripples.ALSO READ: My father wished I would wear the Pakistan star – Usman QadirOn Sunday, it began inauspiciously enough, when Wesley Madhevere pounced on a long hop to dispatch him to cow corner off his first ball. But that was the only time Qadir put a foot wrong all day.Qadir didn’t concede another run to Madhevere all over, and should have had him lbw with a perfect googly that spun sharply to crash into his pads; replays showed it would also have crashed into leg stump. But the umpire remained unmoved and Pakistan puzzlingly didn’t review. Qadir, however, seemed to have found the zone where his confidence and talent were in perfect harmony, and, over the next 18 balls, begun to weave a web Zimbabwe had no clue how to untangle.Sikandar Raza lasted just two balls against him, hopelessly defeated in the flight as he charged the bowler, the googly knocking back his stumps. “That Sikandar Raza dismissal was my favourite moment,” Qadir later told the PCB’s media channel. “He charged me and I bowled the wrong one that he missed and got bowled off it. I enjoyed myself a lot. This is international cricket, and only if you perform will you stay in the side. In T20 cricket, if you look aggressively for wickets, that helps you out a lot.”ALSO READ: Usman Qadir, Pakistan’s new legspinning hopeThat is precisely what Qadir did. Unafraid of tossing the ball up, of daring the batsmen to attack him, he found great balance between aggression and discipline. He bowled the googlies liberally, but didn’t overdo them. He continued to give the ball air, but was perfect with his line and length, so there weren’t many opportunities to hit him. And he wasn’t to be denied Madhevere’s wicket in the end, drawing him into a sweep the batsman failed to execute. It caught his pads once more, and this time, the umpire raised his finger.Even when Elton Chigumbura seemed like he had got the measure of the legspinner, hitting through the line back over his head for six and swiping the next ball for four, Qadir was determined to have the last laugh. The final ball of his spell was a picture-perfect legspinner, tossed up enough to coax the batsman out of his crease, and spinning sharply enough to leave him stranded. It gave Mohammad Rizwan the easiest stumping and Qadir his third wicket – giving him figures of 4-0-23-3 all told.”When I played the first match, I was a little nervous, as one can get before playing their first match. I was told I bowled well though and was backed by the team, just told not to repeat the mistakes I made during the first match,” he said. “So I worked on them. The management and the captain gave me confidence during the second match so I felt I bowled with a lot more maturity today. I felt my googly was spinning, even though the legbreak wasn’t doing as much. I’ll continue this performance level in future hopefully.”It was a performance Shadab would have been proud of. Indeed, it might have left a certain Abdul Qadir beaming, too.

Rohit Sharma struck form with a fifty but captain Ajinkya Rahane endured a failure

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Aug-2019The nearly eight-month-long break between India’s previous Test in Sydney and now seemed to matter little to Cheteshwar Pujara as he struck a hundred for India in the tour match against West Indies A, ahead of their first World Test Championship game.Pujara retired after completing his century, which came off 187 balls and included eight fours and a six. India finished the day on 297 for 5 with Rohit Sharma finding red-ball form. He contributed 68 in a 132-run fourth-wicket stand with Pujara, before falling to the offspin of Akim Frazer.The pair steered the Indians out of choppy waters after they had been reduced to 53 for 3. Captain Ajinkya Rahane and opener Mayank Agarwal endured failures, falling to the medium pace of Jonathan Carter for scores of 1 and 12 respectively. Carter was the pick of the West Indies A bowlers, as he also accounted for the wicket of Rishabh Pant, who scored a 53-ball 33.KL Rahul, meanwhile, squandered a start, falling for a 46-ball 36, which included five fours and a six. At stumps, Hanuma Vihari was unbeaten on a patient 101-ball 37, in the company of Ravindra Jadeja.

Vanuatu kept their slim hopes of avoiding relegation alive with the four-wicket win while also eliminating Bermuda’s chances at promotion

The Report by Peter Della Penna in Kuala Lumpur03-May-2018Player-coach Shane Deitz top-scored – with an unbeaten 114-ball 71 over Bermuda – for the third time in four matches since his international debut at the start of WCL Division Four. Dietz’s maiden half-century propelled Vanuatu to a four-wicket win – their first win in the tournament – and kept alive their slim hopes of avoiding relegation.After their disastrous decision to bat second on a wearing track, Bermuda opted to go the other way on Thursday. But the slipped to 24 for 3 inside the Powerplay. The big scalp in that bunch was Kamau Leverock, who decimated Jersey with a belligerent 28-ball half-century.Dion Stovell, who took four wickets on Wednesday, teamed with captain Terryn Fray to grind out a 110-run stand across 32.1 overs to get Bermuda back into the match. But Nalin Nipiko’s medium pace broke the stand in the 38th over and new-ball bowler Patrick Matautaava returned at the death to claim three more wickets, including Fray for 77 to finish with 4 for 41.Bermuda began their defence of 181 with spin and Stovell struck on his fifth delivery to claim Jonathon Dunn leg before. Matautaava was dismissed for 10 as his nightmarish tournament with the bat continued. And in walked Deitz. The former South Australian wicketkeeper added 54 for the third wicket with Joshua Rasu (31 off 67 balls) before Leverock and Stovell struck six balls apart to remove Rasu and then captain Andrew Mansale.Deitz held firm, and with nuggety contributions from Nipiko (26 off 34 balls), Ronald Tari (15 off 39 balls) and Trevor Langa (13 not out off 25 balls) along the way, Vanuatu sealed victory with an over to spare and also put an end to Bermuda’s chances of promotion.

The former Mumbai captain was pulled up for retweeting a tweet that questioned his exclusion from the recently concluded inter-state T20 tournament

Arun Venugopal22-Feb-2017Suryakumar Yadav has been added to Mumbai’s 14-member squad for the 50-overs Vijay Hazare Trophy after he tendered an apology to the Mumbai Cricket Association for retweeting a post on Twitter that questioned his exclusion from the team for the Inter-state T20 tournament.”The president has accepted his apology and he has been cleared to play in the Vijay Hazare tournament. Surya had sent a letter yesterday and met with the president [Ashish Shelar] today,” MCA joint-secretary Unmesh Khanvilkar told ESPNcricinfo. “Surya wrote in his letter that such things wouldn’t happen in the future. He also said that it was the agency [that manages him] that had retweeted the post.”The Mumbai batsman had earlier been asked to show cause and appear before the MCA’s managing committee. Consequently, Suryakumar’s selection for the Vijay Hazare Trophy inter-state one-day tournament had been withheld pending the committee’s decision.Khanvilkar said on Tuesday that players were not allowed to comment on selection decisions on social media. Suryakumar, 26, has been involved in a few controversies over the last few years. Last year, Suryakumar was let off with a warning for tweeting his displeasure at opener Jay Bista’s omission from the Mumbai side for their semi-final game against Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy. He had also quit as Mumbai captain midway through an underwhelming 2014-15 season. At that point he was reprimanded by MCA officials after some players complained against him for using abusive language on the field and in the dressing room.Mumbai will take on defending champions Gujarat in the opening match of the tournament on February 25.

An eight-wicket haul from Bilawal Bhatti shot out United Bank Limited for 189 in their second innings, leaving Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited chasing a target of 160

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jan-2016
ScorecardFile photo – Bilawal Bhatti’s figures of 8 for 56 were his best in first-class cricket, as were his match figures of 11 for 95•AFP

An eight-wicket haul from Bilawal Bhatti shot out United Bank Limited for 189 in their second innings, leaving Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited chasing a target of 160 to win the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. SNGPL’s chase got off to a rocky start, however, as they ended the third day 56 for 3, with the experienced pair of Azhar Ali and Misbah-ul-Haq at the crease.The second day had ended with Bhatti dismissing the opener Sharjeel Khan to leave UBL 17 for 1 – effectively minus 13 for 1. The third day began with Bhatti needing to bowl one ball to complete his over. He had Umar Siddiq caught behind off that ball.UBL avoided giving Bhatti the hat-trick, but Azizullah bowled Shan Masood and Sohaib Maqsood in between. The two SNGPL quicks had taken four wickets in the space of seven balls, conceding only two runs in the process.From 19 for 4, UBL recovered thanks to Younis Khan’s 128-ball 98, which contained 16 fours. He dominated a fifth-wicket partnership of 141 with Hammad Azam before Bhatti bowled him. There was little resistance thereafter, as Bhatti swept through the lower order, picking up the remaining wickets as UBL lost their last six wickets for 29 runs. Five of Bhatti’s eight wickets – and seven of ten overall – were either bowled or lbw.Bhatti’s figures of 8 for 56 were his best in first-class cricket, as were his match figures of 11 for 95.

USA’s Steven Taylor has been stripped off the senior team captaincy for the Auty Cup in Canada from July 25 to 28, and has been given a one-match suspension for transgressing the team’s curfew

Peter Della Penna17-Jul-2013USA’s Steven Taylor has been stripped of the senior team captaincy for his side’s tour to Canada for the Auty Cup from July 25 to 28, and has been given a one-match suspension after United States of America Cricket Association (USACA) announced on Tuesday that he had been involved in a breach of the team code of conduct and tour protocols last week, while on the USA U-19 tour to Canada for the ICC Americas U-19 Division One tournament.According to a USACA press release, the 19-year-old Taylor, along with team-mate Trevis Ross, 18, admitted to breaking the team’s 10pm curfew, when they went out drinking on July 12 and didn’t return until 2.30am the following day. Taylor took to Twitter to boast about his escapades in the early morning hours, posting a series of tweets from 1.28am until 2.19am which stated: “Random girl trying to get mi drunk lol”, “Shot after shot!!!!!!!!!” and “I’m drunk.”In addition to the tweets, Taylor posted an Instagram photo showing a bottle of rum with two full glasses, as well as a short Instagram video featuring him and Ross singing along to music being played in the background, while Taylor makes obscene gestures to the camera. The Instagram photo and video have since been removed.As part of USACA’s official statement, Taylor issued a formal apology: “I wish to publicly apologise to my team-mates, the US coaching staff, and to USACA for my actions,” Taylor said. “They were selfish and do not reflect the behaviour that the captain of a national team should display. I feel that I have let myself down and brought dishonor to the game and the US team. I am hopeful that I can learn from this mistake and make amends on and off the field during the Auty Cup.”USACA made the announcement on Tuesday after the team returned from the tour. USACA chief executive Darren Beazley met with Taylor before issuing the reprimand. Ross received a written warning for his involvement in the incident with USACA’s statement claiming he broke curfew, but was not drinking.”This incident is regrettable and out of step with the new direction for US cricket,” Beazley said. “To play cricket for this country is an enormous honour. If we are to progress to a performance-based culture in our high performance programmes, all players that represent the US must accept the responsibility that comes with wearing the national colors. Both players have made an error in judgment.”The fact that the transgression was not leading into a match day does not excuse the fact that players must give themselves every opportunity to perform at an optimal level, particularly in light of the fact that there was a place in the ICC Under-19 World Cup at stake. I am confident that Steven and Trevis will learn from this mistake and will respond in the best way possible by performing well in the coming months of the 2013 US cricket season.”No decision has been made as to who will take over as USA captain for the tour to Canada. Taylor had been named stand-in captain in place of Steve Massiah, who is one of several players unavailable due to work commitments. USA is scheduled to play a two-day game, one 50-overs match and two T20s as part of the tour.

Steven showed he was ready to slot into England’s team if the call came but his team-mate Tim Murtagh was equally, if not more, impressive

David Lloyd at Lord's30-May-2012
ScorecardSteven Finn took three wickets in front of national selector Geoff Miller•Getty Images

Steven Finn made enough of a mark on the first day of this contest to indicate he is ready, willing and able should England decide to rest a fast bowler or two and make changes ahead of next week’s final Test against West Indies. But if Middlesex go on to win this game then the new-ball burst of Tim Murtagh may prove to have been the crucial element.Sussex, with barely time to draw breath following Monday’s Championship loss to Nottinghamshire, were staggering horribly inside the first hour after winning what appeared to be a good toss on a bright, sunny morning. Murtagh, hitting the seam instantly while Finn searched for his radar following a week on international 12th man duty, soon had them 16 for 3.The visitors recovered pretty well, with 70s from both Ed Joyce and Ben Brown and a more than useful 38 by Naved Arif, to finish in touching distance of 250, but Middlesex look to have the edge.Murtagh is one of those too often unsung county stars – a bowler who rarely delivers a bad spell but does not often pick up a stack of wickets. And, when he does, a ‘bigger’ name usually puts him in the shade.Today, understandably, most eyes – including, presumably, those of watching national selector Geoff Miller – were on Finn. And the big lad could not be faulted for effort, pace or menace once he found his range. Finn finished the day with 3 for 65 from 23 overs but, quite properly, Murtagh outdid him with 4 for 41 from 20.The way this match began we might easily have been back in April when wickets were tumbling here, there and just about everywhere and, horror of horrors, Surrey boss Chris Adams was being highly critical of the Lord’s pitch used for his side’s nerve-tingling three-run defeat. We might have been back in April, but we were not.For a start, there was real warmth coming from this morning’s sun. And, regardless of what may or may not have happened at HQ a month or so ago, the five wickets which Sussex lost before lunch, can be put down to a mix of skilful new-ball bowling, poor shot selection and leaden-footed stroke-play.Certainly, Sussex were happy enough to bat first after winning the toss – especially their bowlers, most probably. Given that the domestic season starts in early April and runs through to mid-September, there seems no real excuse for any team to have to play on nine out of 10 days, starting with a day-night game.They looked to be in a bit of a trance, for sure, although the in-form Chris Nash could argue that he would do well to survive the beauty he received, second ball up, from Murtagh whenever or wherever he received it. Lifting and leaving the right-handed Nash late, it brushed the outside edge.That set the tone, really. While Finn had a bit of trouble with his direction early on, Murtagh regularly hit the seam and drilled a challenging line on or just outside off stump. Add some less than sparkling batting – Mike Yardy played a horrible shot away from his body before Luke Wright drove ambitiously without much foot movement – and Sussex were in all sorts of bother at 66 for 5 after 90 minutes or so.Thanks to opener Joyce, playing against his old county, and Brown, meltdown was averted with a stand of 81. But both eventually fell to Finn (Joyce caught down the leg-side and Brown edging a fast, full delivery to slip) and it needed Arif’s contribution to prevent Sussex from falling away again.As always, it will be a lot easier to judge how much of a foothold the visitors have given themselves once both teams have batted once, but – for now – they are just about hanging in there.

Against a high-quality attack and on a pitch offering some assistance, Ian Bell combined solidity with flair in a most impressive innings

George Dobell at Trent Bridge18-May-2011
Scorecard
Ian Bell was the outstanding performer on a gloomy Trent Bridge day•PA Photos

Such was the excellence of Alastair Cook over the winter, that Ian Bell’s contribution to England’s Ashes success was easily overlooked.But Bell came of age over the winter. Ending the series with an average of 66 and a maiden Ashes century to his name, Bell finally silenced all but the most dogmatic doubters. He had, at last, graduated from promise to substance.Now, however, aged 29 and the veteran of 62 Tests, the time is right for Bell to progress again. Established as a good Test player, he now has the opportunity to earn himself a reputation as one of the finest batsmen currently playing international cricket.His batting here bodes well. Against a high-quality attack and on a pitch offering some assistance, Bell combined solidity with flair in a most impressive innings. He looks a fine, fine player. And he looks hungry.Bell was not the only batsman to impress. Varun Chopra, William Porterfield and Jonathan Trott also played some sparkling strokes against an attack perhaps striving a little too hard to justify their captain’s decision to insert the opposition.But while Trott, Chopra and Porterfield flourished only briefly – all falling to edges – Bell scarcely played a false stroke and looked determined to provide something more substantial than a cameo.Warwickshire were grateful for Bell’s defiance. Their last three innings against this opposition have totalled only 373 runs for 30 wickets, culminating in them losing 20 wickets in a day last August. Bell was not present in either game, however, and provides a far stiffer spine to his team. He’ll be sorely missed when he departs on England duty.Perhaps Nottinghamshire can count themselves unfortunate. Andre Adams beat the bat frequently and might have dismissed Porterfield, in particularly, on a dozen occasions. Porterfield also survived two tough chances, both off Adams, who had good cause to curse some of the out-fielding that dented his figures and released pressure on the batsmen. Mark Wagh was, by some distance, the worst offender.Still, there were some encouraging signs from an England perspective. Stuart Broad, while not quite at his best just yet, looks to be coming to the boil nicely, though Graeme Swann was only given two overs on a green if sluggish first-day pitch that encouraged the seamers throughout.
Warwickshire started well. With both opening bowlers over-pitching, Porterfield and Chopra launched into a series of sumptuous drives, posting 72 for the first wicket in just 16 overs, before Chopra was drawn into an extravagant drive at one that left him and edged to slip.The introduction of Adams made life more difficult for the batsmen. Though Porterfield, another man who will be absent on international duty (Ireland play Pakistan in two ODIs at the end of the month) next week, recorded his second half-century of the Championship campaign, a good portion of his runs came from edges through point or gully. His dismissal, inside edging one that may have nipped back a fraction, was no more than Adams deserved.Trott was soon into his stride, however. Timing the ball delightfully on both sides of the wicket, he looked in decent touch for a fellow who has spent the first few weeks of the season plying his trade on horrible surfaces. But, with a big score seemingly his for the taking, Trott fished at one he could have left and departed. He has now scored just 93 runs in five Championship innings.
Through it all, however, Bell remained unbeaten. His driving through extra-cover was beautiful; his flicks off the hip masterful. But, most of all, he picked which balls to leave and defend better than any of his colleagues and retained his concentration despite several rain delays that eventually shortened the day by 37 overs.Mohammad Yousuf, back to his best after a century against Worcestershire, provided company during the last 45 minutes of the day but, in conditions that should be better for batting on the second day, the game remains just about in the balance.Meanwhile, it appears that Warwickshire will have to wait until next week before their appeal into the points penalty for a pitch deemed ‘poor’ in the game against Worcestershire is to be heard.

Kent switched their home venue to The Oval but enjoyed no change in luck as Essex held their nerve to win a Friends Provident t20 South Group thriller by four wickets and with only two balls to spare

Cricinfo staff09-Jul-2010
ScorecardDarren Stevens registered a 26-ball fifty, but Essex prevailed at The Oval•Getty Images

Kent switched their home venue to The Oval but enjoyed no change in luck as Essex held their nerve to win a Friends Provident t20 South Group thriller by four wickets and with only two balls to spare. Chasing Kent’s useful total of 171 for 6, Essex appeared to be coasting to their ninth win of the campaign as they reached 146 for 3 courtesy of identical 36-ball innings of 51 by Alastair Cook and Mark Pettini.Opening bat Ravi Bopara had set them flying with a cameo 29 from 21 balls but, when Cook needlessly chipped to mid-on, the Eagles suffered a serious case of the jitters.Even when Matt Walker (one) fell leg before to Simon Cook, the pick of Kent’s attack with 2 for 21, Essex still only needed 23 from the last 18 balls. But a frugal over from Azhar Mahmood that leaked only three runs and accounted for Pettini, bowled by a yorker, set Essex nerves jangling again.It took a cameo 25 from 13 balls by Scott Styris, including 17 off the penultimate over of the night from Matt Coles, to set Essex back on course. Coles got his revenge by bowling the New Zealander with his last delivery and then Mahmood bowled James Foster, but with six needed off the last over Essex were once again favourites.Mahmood conceded a leg-side wide in the final over and, with nine of his fielders in the ring, could not prevent Tim Phillips from hitting the winning boundary.Batting first after winning the toss, Kent lost makeshift opener James Hockley in the fourth over when, in aiming to flick a leg-side wide Styris, he over-balanced and dragged his back foot allowing Foster to whip off the bails for a sharp stumping.Acting Kent captain Martin van Jaarsveld, their top-scorer in this season’s t20, had reached only three when he mistimed a lofted drive against Styris to clip a simple catch to midwicket and make it 41 for 2.Two run outs then left Kent deep in trouble at 73 for 4, 12 overs into their innings. Geraint Jones (11) was first to go after being called through for a suicidal single to Walker at mid-off.Four runs later Denly (35) also gifted away his wicket with foolish running. Having turned the ball firmly into the covers he pushed off only to be sent back by non-striker Darren Stevens, and finished well short of his ground once the throw from Styris arrived.Fresh from his success with England Lions, Stevens then teamed up with Alex Blake (17) to add 53 in 4.3 overs before Blake holed out to long-off against Chris Wright, who caused most problems with his slow-ball bouncer.Allrounder Azhar Mahmood (eight) nicked a Bopara long-hop to the keeper but with Stevens in full flight Kent added 91 in their final seven overs at 13 an over, Stevens finishing unbeaten on a 26-ball 50 with eight fours.