3rd Day of Kent vs Middlesex at Canterbury and Middlesex resuming on 258-7 in their first innings, 16 ahead of Kent. Dawid Malan and Tim Murtagh carried from yesterday by repelling the Kent attack successfully for another 28 runs, bringing up the 50 partnership in the process before Murtagh top edged Darrren Stevens to keeper Geraint Jones for 20. Malan then fell four balls later edging Wahab Riaz to James Tredwell for 68. Steve Finn (6) then brought up the 300 then top edged to Rob Key to give Riaz a third wicket. 303 all out was a lead of 61 but the last 8 wickets had fallen for 99, not quite as bad as on Tuesday night though.
Kent saw their chance so got off to a quick start as Finn didn't make the instant impact Middlesex would have liked with the run rate at 5 an over for the first 6 overs. Corey Collymore, who bowled economically, then snared Key with an edge to John Simpson to depart for 16, 33-1. Northeast then hit a single off the next ball to keep the strike, and then sliced the first ball of Finn's next over to Sam Robson. Martin Van Jaarsveld and Joe Denly then saw off any further mishaps, being 50-2 off 12 at lunch, still 11 behind.
The pair then carried on after lunch with Van Jaarsveld hitting well off the back foot as they went past 50 for the 3rd wicket when Denly edged Finn to captain Neil Dexter at gully for 47, 88-3.
Van Jaarsveld looked at ease, dumping Tom Smith back over his head for six, as Middlesex's bowlers struggled to cause a collapse. Stevens eventually fell LBW to Collymore's inswinger for 16, 145-4. Van Jaarsveld then went to 50 off 93 balls as he and Jones went through to tea, 168-4 off 48, 107 ahead.
Murtagh bowled the first over after tea and sent Van Jaarsveld's off stump walking for 66 2nd ball. Jones and Azhar Mahmood then made Kent's total more imposing as they cruised along at nearly 4 an over as before Finn splattered Jones's off stump 5 short of 50. 261-6 and the lead at 200, more than Middlesex would have liked them to have got. Mahmood then went to 50 off 91 balls by thumping Tom Smith for 6 back over his head, just like Van Jaarsveld had done.
He (62*) and Tredwell (10*) batted through the last 15 minutes to close 292-6, 231 ahead and the game looking like it was going to be a good finish.
