Batsmen make mark in front of selectors

Kent cricket

Kent captain Sam Northeast and Daniel Bell- Drummond both impressed in front of the England selectors in Dubai as the South beat the North 3-0.

Northeast hit a matchwinning 118 not out as the South won game two in Dubai on Sunday.

The 27-year-old struck a dozen fours and a six to see the South through to 346-6 after being put in, on their way to a second win of the series, winning by 47 runs.

Northeast said it was ideal preparation for the new season and added: “It’s nice to be out here, it’s an honour to come and play in this.

“I felt in good touch going into this week so I was confident inside but I’m happy I’ve got some runs on the board.

“There are competitive, highly skilful cricketers playing against each other.

“It’s nice to be around – I haven’t been around since under-19 days and it’s fantastic preparation for me as well for the season coming up.

“We’ve gelled as a side well and we’ve been playing some good cricket.

“I made sure I wasn’t going to do anything different from what I’ve been doing at Kent – but it’s still nice to score some runs in front of the selectors.”

Bell-drummond also relished the opportunity to impress the England selectors with 92 not out in an unbroken opening partnership to give the South a 1-0 lead in the series on Friday.

The 23-year-old helped Malan (109 not out) chase 205 to win with 10 wickets and 99 balls to spare and said: “Everyone knows what this series is about, so it’s a good stage to do well on. Hopefully, I can push on into the season with Kent.