Australia ease to Ashes-tour opening win despite Bell-Drummond century

CANTERBURY: Daniel BellDrummond’s sparkling hundred for Kent could not prevent Australia winning the opening match of their Ashes tour by 255 runs at Canterbury on Sunday.

Almost 40 years to the day since England great Colin Cowdrey made a match-winning 151 not out for Kent against Australia on the same St Lawrence ground, Bell-Drummond delighted a new generation of fans with an innings of 127. However, the 21-year-old’s effort was in a losing cause with Kent, set an improbable 550 for victory, bowled out for 294 in their second innings shortly after tea on Sunday’s fourth and final day.

After Australia had declared on their overnight 322 for four, opener Bell-Drummond — out for a duck in the first innings — looked in good touch. He struck three fours in an over from fast bowler Ryan Harris including a fine straight drive.

Fellow opener Joe Denly made a brisk 22 before he was bowled middle stump by first change Peter Siddle.

Former England batsman Rob Key had anchored Kent’s first innings 280 — made in response to Australia’s imposing 507 for eight declared — with 87.

But Key could only manage 14 on Sunday before, for the second time in the match, he fell to legspinner Fawad Ahmed.

Mitchell Marsh, who made a quickfire century in Australia’s second innings, continued to press his claim as a seam-bowling allrounder in the side for the first Test against England at Cardiff on July 8, by having Kent captain Sam Northeast caught behind for 11.

Bell-Drummond, however, accelerated in style after getting to lunch on 66 not out.

He was especially severe on Ahmed, taking 18 off one over from the leg-spinner including a cut four, a straight-drive six, another cut boundary and a clip off his legs to the mid-wicket rope.

Bell-Drummond, long regarded as one of England’s most promising young players, wasn’t finished with Ahmed as a pull for four and two successive sixes, in three balls from the spinner saw him to a 92ball hundred.

Seventh ton

What was just the seventh firstclass century of Bell Drummond’s fledgling career contained 21 fours and three sixes. He was eventually lbw to Harris.

Not long afterwards, rain briefly halted play with Kent, bottom of the Second Division of England’s County Championship, 203 for four. But when the match resumed they lost four wickets for 30 runs in slumping to 233 for eight.

Harris, who finished with figures of two for 59 in 14 overs, struck again to have Sam Bilings caught in the gully by Shaun Marsh. Leg-spinner Steven Smith, now better known as the world’s number-one ranked Test batsman, took two wickets for nine runs in two overs as Adam Ball and Ben Harmison, younger brother of Ashes-winner Stephen, both carelessly holed out. Adam Riley was then well-caught in the slips by Shane Watson off fast bowler Mitchell Johnson for nought.

Australia-born but England qualified Mitchell Claydon entertained another good crowd with a 25-ball fifty that included two soaring straight sixes off Smith before falling to Ahmed.

Smith, who scored a century in Australia’s second innings, ended the match when he dismissed last man Ivan Thomas for a duck.

Australia have one more fourday match, against Essex in Chelmsford starting on Wednesday, before they begin the defence of the Ashes.

Briefscores: Australia 1st Innings 507-8 decl. Kent 1st Innings 280. Australia 2nd Innings 322 for 4 decl. Kent 2nd Innings 294 all out.