Ashes 2015: Daniel Bell-Drummond scores superb century but Australia win tour opener
Sunday 28 June 2015 21:40, UK
Australia beat Kent by 255 runs to win their opening tour match at Canterbury – but not before they were put to the sword by Daniel Bell-Drummond.
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
The opener, 21, scored a brilliant 127 off just 112 balls - reaching his ton in 92 – dispatching all that Australia’s pace attack of Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle and Mitchell Marsh could throw at him. All that after he was dismissed for a duck in the first innings.
And there were late fireworks too from Australia-born tail-ender Mitch Claydon, who smacked 53 from 27 balls. Kent were bowled out for 294 in their second innings, but they took the world’s best team to the final session of the fourth day, and gave Australia plenty to think about.
Australia declared on their overnight 322-4, setting the hosts a nominal 550 to win, and Bell-Drummond and Joe Denly (22) set off as is they intended to chase them. They rattled off 40 off the first four overs from Johnson and Harris.
But with the score on 55, Siddle plucked out Denly's middle stump. Rob Key, who scored 87 in the first innings, was dismissed for the second time in the match launching himself at leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed, this time for 14.
Skipper Sam Northeast (11) quickly followed. He smacked Mitchell Marsh over his head for six, but then edged the very next ball behind.
Ben Harmison came in and dropped anchor, and helped Bell-Drummond add 93 for the fourth wicket. Bell-Drummond played fluently, all around the wicket, bringing up his century with a four, a six, and another six off leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed . He reached 127 before falling lbw to a relieved Harris.
In his teens, Bell-Drummond was talked about as a future England player but he has not quite made the progress he would have hoped. England captain Alastair Cook made his name by scoring two centuries for Essex against the touring Aussies - Bell-Drummond will now hope this century can be his breakthrough innings.
England ODI batsman Sam Billings missed the opportunity to impress the Test selectors, falling to Harris for three. Adam Ball (1) and the gutsy Harmison (31) both fell to the leg-spin of Smith. Adam Riley edged Johnson to slip second ball – the fearsome Aussie’s first wicket of the innings.
The fun was not over there though. Claydon climbed into the Australian attack, in particular Smith. He hit two sixes and eight fours, but he finally fell trying to slog Ahmed out of the ground. Last man Iwan Thomas was out for a duck, second ball, caught in the deep off Smith (3-54).
