Pakistan Get In The Groove As Denly Makes A Hundred

Pakistan's bowlers got some overs under their belts as Kent captain Joe Denly made an attractive century on the final day of their tour-opener at Canterbury on Tuesday.

Canterbury, United Kingdom, May 1 (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st May, 2018 ) :Pakistan's bowlers got some overs under their belts as Kent captain Joe Denly made an attractive century on the final day of their tour-opener at Canterbury on Tuesday.

Given both Sunday and Monday's play in this four-day fixture had been washed out without a ball bowled, a draw was always the likeliest result. And Kent were 209 for four in reply to Pakistan's first-innings 168 when, with no prospect for a win for either side, the players shook hands not long before the scheduled close of 6:00pm local time (1700 GMT).

Denly was 113 not out. Together with opener Sean Dickson (74) he put on 160 for the second wicket, after the pair came together at one for one after the early loss of Daniel Bell-Drummond on Saturday.

Their partnership of 127 was a new Kent record for the second wicket against Pakistan, surpassing the 106 shared by Charles Rowe and Chris Tavare at Canterbury back in 1978. There was no play before lunch on Tuesday after the ground was flooded by a huge downpour on Monday.

But, after extensive work by the ground staff, the match resumed at 2:00pm local time (1300 GMT) under sunny and blue skies. Kent were then 39 for one, with Dickson 24 not out and former England batsman Denly unbeaten on 12.

Denly was the more fluent of the pair early on Tuesday, cover-driving an elegant four off Mohammad Amir.

The Kent skipper went to his fifty in style with a straight six off leg-spinner Shadab Khan.

Denly, who played alongside Amir for the Karachi Kings in the recent edition of the Twenty20 Pakistan Super League, reached the landmark in 90 balls including six fours and two sixes. South Africa-born Dickson brought up his fifty in 123 balls when he pulled Hasan Ali for a well-struck four.

But when Dickson was lbw to Shadab it sparked a flurry of wickets. Kent's 161 for two became 174 for three when the unfortunate Alex Blake had his stumps shattered by a late-swinging yorker from left-arm quick Amir -- a delivery that would have accounted for many better batsmen.

Shadad, getting some grip and turn after switching to the Nackington Road End, then bowled Zak Crawley for a duck to leave Kent 175 for four. But Denly was still there and two superb cover-driven fours in the space of three Amir deliveries saw him to a 169 ball-century that included 13 boundaries and three sixes.

Pakistan next face Northamptonshire in another four-day fixture starting Friday before providing the opposition for Ireland's inaugural Test, in Malahide, from May 11-15. They then play England in a two-Test series at Lord's (May 24-28) and Headingley (June 1-5).