Kent couldn’t stop Middlesex from pulling off a dramatic run chase in a two-wicket County Championship Division 2 defeat at Lord’s.
Bowled out for just 129 on the opening day, Kent looked favourites after setting a stiff target of 365 and reducing their hosts to 81-3 overnight – but Luke Hollman’s diligent knock of 103 anchored a remarkable fightback.
Hollman shared key partnerships with Stephen Eskinazi (41) – who retired hurt with a back spasm but returned later – and Jack Davies (59), only for leg-spinner Matt Parkinson to turn the contest back in Kent’s favour, dismissing Hollman and Davies in quick succession.
It needed an unbroken ninth-wicket stand of 52 between Toby Roland-Jones and Zafar Gohar to wrap up a record run-chase, the latter slog-sweeping Parkinson (3-105) for six to secure victory with just one over remaining.
“There’s nothing to be ashamed about from that performance today – the guys gave it everything,” Kent skipper Daniel Bell-Drummond said.
“You can’t get away from this being an excellent game of cricket for the neutral, it’s good to be a part of that but ideally not on the losing side.
“First innings with the bat – it wasn’t a straightforward wicket, it was quite seamer-friendly which is as it should be, but maybe that took us a bit by surprise.
“We were always trying to claw it back from there and I think we did that, we bowled pretty well in the first innings and then got a big score in our second innings which put us in a good position.
“We came into the day feeling very confident, but fair play to Middlesex – they batted very well. We had a few bowlers missing and had quite an inexperienced attack, the guys who came in did very well but it wasn’t to be.”
A morning shower slightly delayed the resumption of Middlesex’s innings before not-out batters Hollman and Eskinazi knuckled down to blunt the visitors’ attack with few causes for alarm.
Hollman overtook his partner by steering Kashif Ali to the point boundary and, even though Parkinson extracted some turn from the Pavilion End, the pair made steady progress during the first hour and half.
However, they were separated when Eskinazi – having turned Parkinson behind square – clutched at his lower back while completing a routine single and grimaced with pain as he sank to the turf at the bowler’s end.
The opener eventually limped back to the dressing-room, with replacement Ryan Higgins doing well to dig out an inswinging yorker from Jamal Richards shortly before another bout of drizzle curtailed the session.
Hollman advanced beyond 50 for the sixth time in his red-ball career after lunch, sweeping and on-driving Parkinson for boundaries and then nudging a single to reach his individual landmark as Middlesex’s target dipped below 200.
But it was the former England leg-spinner who achieved a breakthrough, reacting quickly to deflect Hollman’s straight drive onto the wicket with non-striker Higgins scrambling in vain to make his ground.
The run-out raised Kent spirits, with more close fielders ushered in as Parkinson was joined by Jack Leaning in a spin-only offensive, capturing another wicket as Tawanda Muyeye raced out from slip to snare a looping edge off bat and pad of Ben Geddes.
Kashif returned to share the new ball with George Garrett, who was hoisted over the rope at long leg by Davies but almost accounted for Hollman on the stroke of tea, a clipped half-volley fractionally eluding the diving midwicket fielder.
Hollman kept his cool to complete his ton from 184 balls and that was the signal for Davies to press the accelerator, slamming Garrett for a six and three fours during a single over that cost 29 in all.
A reverse sweep for four off Parkinson took Davies to his half-century and simultaneously lifted Middlesex’s total above 300 – yet the pendulum appeared to swing again as Parkinson picked up two wickets in three balls.
Hollman was first to go, snapped up at short leg before Davies holed out to deep midwicket and, having returned with a runner, Eskinazi could increase his score by just two before Joey Evison pinned him lbw with 51 still required.
Gohar and Roland-Jones (23 not out) gradually whittled those down, while Evison (3-71) and Parkinson maintained the pressure in tandem as the overs ticked away and shadows began to lengthen.
With five needed and seven balls remaining, Gohar (30 not out) took on Parkinson and dispatched the ball over the short boundary to seal Middlesex’s second win of the season.
Report from ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay
