Lehmann pleased with Northants’ efforts on tough opening two days at Kent

The County had reached 140 for one at stumps, a deficit of 426, with Ricardo Vasconcelos unbeaten on 87 and Calvin Harrison 41 not out. Matt Quinn took the only wicket, getting Luke Procter for eight.

Earlier, Kent declared on 556 for eight, with Bell-Drummond hitting 158 in a stand of 208 with Finch, who made 118.

Liam Guthrie took three for 92, but Northants’ bowlers laboured throughout with the Kookaburra ball, and Kent’s didn’t fare much better.

The visitors actually stared the day with an early wicket when Joey Evison, who was 29 not out over night, became the day’s first victim, going for 37 in the fourth over: after driving Guthrie for a textbook four through mid off, he was caught behind off the next delivery.

That, however, was the highpoint for the visitors, whose chief tormentor was all too familiar.

Bell-Drummond hit an unbeaten triple century at Northampton in 2023 and he reached three figures by scrambling for a single off Harrison.

Finch brought up his half-century in the next over when he went down the wicket to Yuzvendra Chahal and hit him for four over long on.

It was 446 for five at lunch at which point there was a mini-rumpus on the outfield, where Northants officials were reportedly remonstrating with the match referee, allegedly because of their frustrations at having to use a Kookaburra ball on a lifeless surface.

Few others in a crowd of 2,263 were complaining.

Finch reached his sixth first-class hundred when he pulled Saif Zaib to the backward square leg boundary for four and a single from Harrison took Bell-Drummond to 150, before he finally went caught behind trying to sweep Zaib.

Finch went in the next over, trying to reverse sweep Harrison and falling to a sharp one-handed grab by Justin Broad at first slip, but Kent batted on until Matt Parkinson was lbw for four trying to sweep the same bowler.

Kent declared, tea was taken and Quinn, having missed all of last season and broken down nine balls into pre-season, marked his return to the first team by getting Procter caught behind in the seventh over.

If anyone was due some luck it was Quinn and replays suggested there was daylight between bat and ball.

It was an isolated success.

Vasconcelos raced to 50 from 51 balls and although Kent followed Northamptonshire’s lead yesterday in at least managing to slow the scoring rate slightly, it felt like the only way a batter would get out was by chucking their wicket away – neither did.

It has been a tough first two days for Northants, but Lehmann was quite pleased with how his team stuck at it.

“I thought we fought pretty hard with the ball," said the Australian.

"We didn’t put down a chance apart from maybe the sweep shot with Robbo (Tim Robinson) diving forward but that was maybe a half chance.

"It didn’t really do much to be honest, it never really swung and we thought we hung in there as well as we could.

"It didn’t turn a lot, it’s a pretty flat wicket at the moment anyway and I know that can change but in this heat it could spin more and keep a bit low, which it did a little bit last night but I thought Vasco and Harrison played really well to get us 140 off 36 overs.

"They were nice and positive and it was roughly four an over so it was good.

“It has been tough. On those sort of wickets you’ve got to get wickets early like we did last week against Middlesex when we kept them to 400, that’s the sort of total you’ve got to keep them to.

"But full credit to Kent they batted well and didn’t give us many opportunities."