Landmark for Hogan as Glam hit back

GLAMORGAN and Kent enjoyed three thrilling sessions of cut-and-thrust cricket as 15 wickets fell on the second day of their final Specsavers County Championship match of the season in Canterbury.

Kent had stumbled to 98 for five at stumps for an overall lead of 171, but talk around the ground centred around England’s 11th-hour decision to call up Sam Billings to potentially replace Ben Stokes or Alex Hales in today’s fourth ODI against the West Indies at The Kia Oval.

Billings was due to bat with his side in deep trouble on 24 for four in their second innings, as it was, his understudy Adam Rouse emerged from the pavilion to take up the cudgel with aplomb, reaching a gritty 34 not out by the game’s mid-point.

Kent had lost three for nought in eight balls at the start of their reply as Michael Hogan swept to his 500th wicket in all first-class cricket.

The Aussie paceman bowled Daniel Bell-Drummond, tied Joe Denly in knots to win an lbw shout and then had Sam Northeast caught on the hook very next ball to reach his milestone.

Ruaidhri Smith snared Zak Crawley flush in front and had Sean Dickson caught behind with Kent only 110 runs ahead, bringing Rouse and Darren Stevens together for a swashbucklingm sixth-wicket stand worth 61.

Stevens contributed 31 with seven fours before Hogan returned late in the day to peg back his off stump via an inside edge as Stevens aimed to force off the back foot.

Without arguably their three most experienced batsmen in Colin Ingram, Jacques Rudolph and Aneurin Donald, a rookie Glamorgan batting order made a decent fist of their first innings reply in reaching 229 all out for a single batting bonus point.