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The fast bowler Andy McKay has been forced out of the Tests against Australia due to a stress fracture in his foot. McKay had hoped to return for the two matches after being ruled out of the one-dayers and Twenty20s against Australia starting next week, but has been diagnosed with a fracture after bone scans in Wellington last week.”It turns out I’ve got a stress fracture in my foot. It’s not good,” he told .”I then went back and saw the sports physician on Thursday and the injury had actually settled down quite a bit in a matter of days.”That was fairly encouraging and the doctor thinks my recovery will be a matter of weeks, rather than the usual two to three months that an injury like this normally takes to heal.”McKay, 29, made an impressive start to his ODI career, taking five wickets against Bangladesh at an average of 21 but it was his pace which stood out. He reportedly clocked 147 kph in the Napier ODI and the captain Daniel Vettori said he was one of the quickest bowlers he had faced in the Twenty20 HRV Cup, even comparing him to Shane Bond. McKay was eager to translate his form into the five-day format but his career has been put on hold for the moment.”It’s bittersweet,” he said. “I was obviously very happy with how things went in the one-dayers against Bangladesh and then I was over the moon about being selected in the Test side. Obviously the priority now is about getting things right.”The series gets underway on February 26 with the first of two Twenty20s, followed by five ODIs and two Tests.

In March 2001, India were falling apart at the Eden Gardens. Steve Waugh’s ruthlessness had seen Australia string together a record 16 Test wins on the trot as they reached Kolkata. Another victory seemed imminent by the end of the third day after India were made to follow on.It was a desperate situation – the series was at stake – and Sourav Ganguly and John Wright, India’s men in charge, were pushed to the wall. Call it impulse, instinct, hunch or plain desperation, their decision was pure left-field: they asked VVS Laxman to get ready to bat at his most desired position – No.3.Laxman was yet to unstrap his pads; he was the last man out in the first innings, having survived two hours of rigorous examination, but was the sole Indian batsman to hit a half century. Yet he went out at the fall of the first wicket and the rest is history.Nine years down the line, India find themselves in a similar difficult position, with more than the series at stake – they could also lose the world No. 1 ranking to South Africa. And, in the absence of Rahul Dravid, the stage is set for Laxman to bat again at No. 3, ahead of Murali Vijay, who batted one-drop at Nagpur and has the attitude but not the experience.Wright, though, has no doubt in his mind. “If Dravid is not there I’ll play Laxman at three without question straightaway,” he told Cricinfo. His confidence in Laxman, he said, stems from his ability to put the fast bowlers under pressure. “If it is the Laxman I knew, he is particularly good against the opening bowling attack because he takes the attack to the bowlers.”Recalling the events of 2001, Wright said the strategy of playing Laxman up the order in that Test was based on his batting in the first innings. “But he has the ability to punish the bad balls. You just can’t bat to survive, you have to be positive. He is that sort of a player and he loves batting at No. 3,” Wright said.It’s not just a matter of instinct – the numbers, too, support a move up the order. Laxman has batted at No.3 in 20 Tests and averages 47.45, which is slightly higher than his career average. What’s significantly higher is his rate of converting fifties into hundreds: in his entire career 14 out of 57 fifty-plus innings have been converted into centuries (a rate of 24.56); at No. 3, it goes up to 40% (four out of ten). He averages almost 76 when batting at that position at home, and India have won five out of the six Tests when he has batted there. The last time he played in that position at home was in a winning cause, when his fighting century against Sri Lanka in Ahmedabad in 2005 set the tone for the victory. And minimising the risk factor further is this factoid: Eden Gardens happens to be his favourite ground in India – he has scored three centuries here in eight Tests, and averages almost 82.Of course, the theory comes with caveats. His fitness, for one: Laxman opted out of the Nagpur Test at the last minute, having failed to recover completely from the wrist injury to his left hand. But he’s been practising hard; on Friday, he batted at No. 3 in the nets and also received some slip catches from Gary Kirsten to allay fitness concerns.He also hasn’t been in great nick of late; Laxman’s last century was the unbeaten 124 in Napier a year ago, where he helped ensure India drew the match. He made half-centuries in each of the three Tests against Sri Lanka at the end of 2009 but each time failed to convert though he had enough time. Seen differently, though, it could be that Laxman will be driven by the hunger to make a big score.It would still be an unconventional decision but in MS Dhoni India have an unconventional captain with a record of unexpected decisions. Like Ganguly, he relies on his instinct and it would not be a surprise if he promotes Laxman to make the top order more solid.”Leadership is very instinctive, you’ve got to with your gut feeling,” said Wright, who brought Dhoni into the Indian team. “Sometimes when you have come out of a big loss some captains can tend to become more cautious. But I don’t think it will happen (with Dhoni). I just don’t think Mahendra is that sort of guy.”Wright concedes, though, that the stakes are very high. “That is what it is about being the No.1: you are always being challenged. You need to be positive and have a lot of self- belief,. India would have been under some challenging situations on their journey to No.1 but South Africa are hungry for it.”

Victoria 7 for 166 (Finch 48, Blizzard 42*, O’Brien 3-26) beat South Australia 9 for 118 (Pollard 44, McDonald 3-21) by 48 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Aiden Blizzard’s late storm took the final out of South Australia’s reach•Getty Images

Victoria re-proved their credentials as the best Twenty20 team in the country with their fourth Big Bash trophy in five years by crushing South Australia’s dreamy campaign with a 48-run win. The opener Aaron Finch sparked the Bushrangers with 47 off 34 deliveries and Aiden Blizzard, the Man of the Match, biffed his way to 42 off 19 as they reached 7 for 166.South Australia lost their captain Graham Manou from the first ball of the chase and never recovered on the way to 9 for 118, despite some flexing from Kieron Pollard. It was an unhappy experience for the Redbacks, who were in their first domestic final for four years, and the result continued a lack of trophy success stretching back to 1995-96. Perhaps they’ll win the Champions League Twenty20.A spot in that tournament is the bonus for reaching the decider and they will hope to have Shahid Afridi, who missed this match due to his Pakistan duties. The Bushrangers were knocked out of the Champions League in India at the semi-final stage last year and after a slow start to this competition they found top form at the important moments. They were beaten on the final ball by New South Wales last year, but there was no doubt about this success from early in the second innings.Dirk Nannes struck Manou’s pads with a full inswinger and in the second over Tom Cooper played on trying to pull James Pattinson. The Victorians made the crowd of 17,722 even quieter when Daniel Harris popped Pattinson to midwicket to have the hosts 3 for 13.Pollard began the rebuild with some sensible shots before opening his shoulders shortly after the alarm on his watch went off. A six bounced on to a Chappell Stand roof off Jon Holland and two balls later he launched him into the supporters at midwicket, with the over costing 18. Mark Cosgrove also increased the pace until he was bowled playing on trying to heave Andrew McDonald to the legside, ending the stand of 64 at a crucial time.The key moment came three deliveries later when Pollard forced to midwicket and David Hussey took the ball above his head running backwards. He knew he was heading over the rope so he threw the ball up, regained his poise as he rejoined the field and collected the catch fairly. A surprised Pollard trudged off with 44 off 33 and with South Australia at 5 for 78 their push was over.McDonald gained 3 for 21 to support the fast men, with Nannes recording an amazing 1 for 8 off four, the most economical figures in the competition’s history, and Pattinson getting 3 for 27. It was a smart follow-up from the bowlers after an entertaining batting display.Finch, who was reprieved in the first over of the game when bowled by a Shaun Tait no-ball, took advantage of his good fortune and bruised Dan Christian with a wagon wheel of four boundaries – to midwicket, cover, square leg and mid-off – as well as four legbyes. He should have been run out on 47, with Gary Putland missing the stumps, but it didn’t matter as he went next ball driving Pollard to long off.Hussey tried to force the pace and found long-on on 15 to give Mark Cleary his first wicket and the following over Matthew Wade top-edged a sweep off Aaron O’Brien, the left-arm spinner. The Bushrangers were 5 for 109 and needed the push of McDonald (25) and Blizzard, who was playing his first game of the season after coming in for Australia’s Cameron White.Tait went for 13 in the 17th over before McDonald holed out off O’Brien, but Blizzard came on and slogged Tait for consecutive legside sixes as the bowler ended with 0 for 42 off four. Blizzard had just enough time to add another clearance off Putland to seal the satisfying total.O’Brien, who returned an impressive 3 for 26, came on and struck with his third ball when he had Hodge (9) caught and bowled in a crucial blow. Rob Quiney also had a short stay and went with 12 after flicking Putland to deep square leg, leaving the visitors 2 for 70 after nine overs. Cleary bowled an early maiden to Hodge – the first of the competition this summer – and finished with 1 for 28 in an encouraging display, but any hopes of a breakthrough victory were quickly extinguished by a classy opponent.

The first-class game in the West Indies is set to welcome radical innovations such as day-night matches and the use of pink balls to boost spectator interest. The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) will trial these innovations in its four-day tournament, which gets underway on January 8. Another feature is the hosting of an entire round in one territory to ease the logistical challenges in travelling arrangements.”Spectator interest in regional matches has been declining in recent years and we are looking at different ways to organise our tournaments and ensure greater value for all our stakeholders, including players and spectators,” Ernest Hilaire, the WICB’s CEO, said.”We at the WICB aim to bring the game back to the fans and we believe the new format of having day-night cricket in the four-day tournament will help to generate public interest and also be a winner with the players and officials.”Hilaire added that each of the seven teams will get to play at least one match under lights. He said data will be collected on the impact on players, spectators, match officials and spectators before the format comes under review.”We will also be looking to utilise some of the wonderful facilities we have in the region as we seek to develop players who will be able to represent the people of the Caribbean at the highest level,” Hilaire said.The first round will begin in Jamaica from January 8-11 while the final round will be played at Windwards between February 26 and March 1.

Match facts

Friday, December 18
Start time 14:30 (09:00 GMT)Virender Sehwag works on his bat ahead of the second ODI in Nagpur•Associated Press

Big Picture

The bowlers will head into Nagpur with the Rajkot run fest on their minds, but they won’t get much relief from another hard track at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium. India have the momentum and victory in Nagpur will give them a formidable 2-0 lead in the five-match series. Making it worse for Sri Lanka is the fact that they are down two bowlers. Muttiah Muralitharan and Dilhara Fernando have been ruled out for the series, meaning the visitors have two fresh faces, both potential debutants, which will not help a side aiming to level the series. It will take a huge effort for them to turn the tide their way on this surface.The most alarming feature of the limited-overs leg of this tour has been the fielding of both sides; on what is believed to be another belter of a track, bowling straight and full and, most importantly, taking every chance will be paramount. The fast bowlers on either side were carted around for the first half of both innings in Rajkot, and the epidemic of spilling catches continued from the Tests and Twenty20s. Three catches and one half chance to Zaheer Khan went down, taking India’s drop tally from three limited-overs games this past week to an even dozen.For one side aiming to tighten their grasp on the series, and the other attempting to clutch a piece of it, wrapping their fingers around the key moments will be decisive.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
India – WLLLW
Sri Lanka – LLLWL

Watch out for…

Mahela Jayawardene: Sri Lanka’s former captain has experienced an unusual run of form in 2009 where he either gets a start and can’t convert or falls early. In 23 innings this year, he has a century and three half-centuries; his next-highest score is 33 and three times he’s been dismissed without scoring. The law of averages says it’s about time for a century, but it will be against a side off which he has only one hundred in 55 innings. To do so, Jayawardene will need to get over his struggles against India’s spinners, who have now dismissed him five times – six if you count the run out in Rajkot during a Ravindra Jadeja over – from his seven ODI innings against them in 2009.Gautam Gambhir: He’s been India’s most consistent Test batsman this year but his figures aren’t so hot in ODIs. His only century came against Sri Lanka in the first week of February and since then Gambhir has managed four half-centuries. For a determined player, who has made a superb effort to convert fifties into centuries in Tests, changing a habit that hampered him for some time, doing the same in ODIs must be a goal. Given the nature of the Nagpur track – India eased past 350 runs when they played Australia here in October – it is tough to visualise one of the top three not getting a big score. Gambhir has been able to bat at the top in only ten of 20 innings in 2009; if he gets the chance to bat at No. 3 tomorrow, count on a significant innings.The batting Powerplay: This five-over block turned out to be a bit of a worry for both sides. In Rajkot, India seemed on course for 450 before they lost Sehwag, MS Dhoni and Gambhir while scoring just 33 runs during their batting Powerplay, taken after 34 overs. Sri Lanka opted for theirs at 291 for 1 after 35 overs and scored 21 runs off the first over, but managed 32 for 3 from the next four. And that was where the match turned.

Team news

Yuvraj Singh is almost ruled out – he has the flu, in addition to his finger injury and missed practice on Thursday – but Sehwag has been cleared to play after picking up a knee injury in Nagpur. The batting will remain the same as the first ODI, though Sudeep Tyagi may just fancy a debut ahead of Praveen Kumar.India: 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 5 Suresh Raina, 6 Virat Kohli, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Praveen Kumar/Sudeep Tyagi, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Ashish Nehra.Apart from the injuries to Murali and Fernando, Sri Lanka also had to sweat on Lasith Malinga’s fitness. He missed the first match and the management will be hopeful of his return to replace Fernando. If not, it could mean a debut for rookie fast bowler Suranga Lakmal, who teamed up with the squad today, or a spinner coming in. If it is the latter, Ajantha Mendis remains the safe bet but one of Muthumudalige Pushpakumara or Suraj Randiv could debut.Sri Lanka: (probable) 1 Upul Tharanga, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt & wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Sanath Jayasuriya, 6 Thilan Samaraweera, 7 Thilina Kandamby, 8 Angelo Mathews, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Chanaka Welegedara/Ajantha Mendis/ Muthumudalige Pushpakumara, 11 Lasith Malinga/Suranga Lakmal.

Pitch and conditions

This will be only the second one-day international played at this venue – the first was a run fest. India racked up 354 against Australia and then won by 99 runs. The pitch is expected to be conducive for run-making, as it was during the Twenty20 when Sri Lanka made 216 in 20 overs. Scattered showers are forecast by the weather bureau, with temperatures of 27C predicted.

Stats and trivia

• Virender Sehwag, during the course of his 102-ball 146, was most severe on Angelo Mathews, plundering 27 runs off 10 balls.
• Harbhajan Singh was India’s best bowler in the face of an onslaught from Sri Lanka’s top order. It showed in his figures against centurion Tillakaratne Dilshan: in 26 balls bowled to Dilshan, the batsman only managed 17 runs.

Quotes

“I expect scores of over 300 for sure. But the fast bowlers will definitely get some help early on with the new ball, and fielding first may not be a bad option.”

Scorecard
Chathura Peiris and Udara Jayasundera were the stars for Sri Lanka Under-19 as they got off to a winning start in the tournament, beating Bangladesh Under-19 by 20 runs via the D/L method in a rain-marred tie in Dambulla. No less was the contribution of Rumesh Buddika who scored an unbeaten half-century to hand Bangladesh their second defeat on the trot, having lost to Pakistan Under-19 the previous day.Bangladesh captain Mahmudul Hasan looked to have made the right decision to bat first, with the openers putting on 46, before Peiris triggered a collapse to leave them stuttering at 68 for 5. The captain however, led from the front with a quick 82 and was supported well by Sabbir Rahman (42) during their sixth-wicket partnership of 100, but eventually ran out of partners. Peiris picked up two lower-order wickets as the visitors succumbed in the 43rd over.Jayasundera, who picked up two wickets earlier, held sway at the top of the order during the reply. He struck six boundaries during his patient 120-ball knock, and teamed up well with Buddika to put on 93 for the third wicket. Buddika continued even after Jayasundera’s departure, hitting four boundaries, as bad light stopped play in the 38th over, with the hosts ahead as per the D/L requirement.

Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan has termed as “unacceptable” the host’s four-wicket, series-leading victory over Zimbabwe. From 175 for 2 chasing 197 – boosted by timely half-centuries by Tamim Iqbal and Mohammad Ashraful – Bangladesh lost four wickets in 49 balls before eventually winning in the 41st over.”I did not want to come out in the middle to bat after the way Tamim Iqbal and Mohammad Ashraful had dictated terms, but unfortunately none could finish the job which was really frustrating,” said Shakib.Tamim, who before the game had vowed to answer his captain’s call for a more responsible top-order effort, was on 80 when he danced out and missed the ball. Ashraful, who finally found form with 63, fell to a terrible shot outside the off stump. Those two wickets were followed by a middle-order wobble – Raqibul Hasan pulled a short ball out to a fielder in the deep – which left Shakib to come out and settle nerves, but he was clearly peeved at having to do so.”In such a situation, one can expect to lose three or four wickets. But I should say six wickets is too much for comfort and this is unacceptable,” he said. “Either Tamim or Ashraful should have stayed there till the end. We all should know how to finish things off when we got such a small target. I also don’t understand why Rokibul played that pull shot at that time. These are very negative signs.”Tamim, named Man of the Match, felt the reverberations. “I’m really very disappointed that I could not satisfy my captain and there is a reason for him to be disappointed,” he said. “I knew I had to prolong my innings when I got the start. I want to be a world-class batsman and for that I have to master the craft.”

Worcestershire have appointed opening batsman Daryl Mitchell as vice-captain, after offspinner Gareth Batty left the club to join Surrey. In his 48-game first-class career spanning over four years, Mitchell has averaged 38.65 with five centuries and grabbed 16 wickets at 33.25.Mitchell, who will deputise for captain Vikram Solanki, was delighted at the appointment. “To be offered the vice-captaincy at this stage in my career is a great honour and one I am delighted to accept,” he said. “The team is obviously going through a period of transition but we have some really good young players coming through. I am genuinely excited about the future and I look forward to working with Vikram over the years ahead.”Worcestershire chief executive Mark Newton said: “Daryl was the first graduate from the Club’s Academy and soon established himself as a key member of the 1st XI in all forms of cricket. He is a true Worcestershire lad and his attitude epitomizes everything we want from our cricketers. We are delighted he has accepted the appointment and he will give valuable support on and off the field to Captain, Vikram Solanki.”

As first impressions go, Joe Denly’s maiden ODI innings of 67 from 111 balls was harder to quantify than it really deserved to be. For starters, his international baptism wasn’t quite on a par with that of Jonathan Trott at The Oval last week – a soggy field in Stormont could not remotely replicate the intensity of that Ashes decider, while his opponents were not England’s oldest and most storied foes, Australia, but a spirited if limited Ireland team who utilised their home conditions to good effect, yet were still found out in the final analysis.Nevertheless, it was a performance brimful of promise, and from a 23-year-old opener whose credentials have been touted with knowing regularity for the past couple of seasons, that is about as much as England could possibly have wished for. Denly is a man whom English cricket wants to see succeed. Born in Canterbury and brought up in nearby Whitstable, he has developed through Kent’s age-group levels from Under-12s onwards, and is seen in some parts as a one-man affirmation of an often-maligned county system that has been undermined of late by gripes about imported talent. The early evidence needs a second opinion, but already he looks as though he’s made of the right stuff, technically and mentally.Though the Man-of-the-Match award eventually went to Ireland’s Trent Johnston for an allround performance that all but condemned England to defeat, it was Denly’s mature assessment of a potentially dire situation that proved to be the difference between the sides. “It was a bit tense to be honest, we were always chasing the game,” he said. “But Owais [Shah] got a few wickets for Middlesex last week with his offspin, he came on and took come crucial wickets, and we managed to scrape home in the end. It was a good victory.”England’s captain, Paul Collingwood, admitted after the game that he had misread the conditions when he won the toss and chose to bat, and Denly had not even got off the mark by the time Ravi Bopara and Trott had been dismissed for ducks to give Ireland a flying start to the contest. But he did not bow to the pressure of the situation, nor to any expectation of quick counterattacking runs. Instead he did what he has done throughout a season in which he has been averaging more than 50 in limited-overs cricket, and played each ball on its merit, including a gorgeous cover-drive from the 21st ball of England’s innings, which also happened to be their first runs off the bat.”It was a very tough wicket,” Denly said. “The ball was sticking and driving was particularly tough, especially on the front foot. We lost a couple of early wickets which wasn’t great so it was a matter of building and getting up to a competitive total, and we thought 200 was so. Trent Johnston bowled very well, he’s a very experienced bowler and I suppose those conditions suited him very nicely. He just bowled a good length, nibbled it around, and found Ravi’s edge and caught Trotty on the crease.”Prior experience of the Stormont wicket undoubtedly helped Denly to settle in, however, especially as he came into the game with happy memories of batting on this track. “I got my first one-day hundred for Kent here [in 2007], so I’ve enjoyed coming back again,” he said. “But it did feel like an international debut, I was on a high to get that first one under the belt and I’ll remember this day for a long time. I was a bit nervous, there were a few butterflies, but then excitement took over, and I was just really pleased to get the opportunity to play. It was a fantastic day.”It must, however, have been a peculiar environment in which to make one’s international debut, with six of the squad still buzzing from their exploits in the Ashes, while trying to overcome an unmistakeable air of resentment at the timing of this contest. Denly, though, insisted that their professionalism had shown through, and that there had been no problems getting himself geared up for this match.”It’s been brilliant, they made me feel really welcome,” he said. “They’ve had a fantastic week and this is a bit of a change from five-day cricket to one-dayers and Twenty20s at the weekend, but they’ve all done it before and I’m sure they are looking forward to it. Coming into any international team is quite exciting, but an Ashes-winning one is even more exciting and I’m very proud. They’ve played together for quite a while but they are still on a massive high, and we’re taking a lot of confidence from that.”After the match, Collingwood praised the maturity shown by his young opener, who has surely done enough already to challenge for a starting place in England’s seven-match ODI series that gets underway at The Oval next week, especially seeing as he has already impressed against the Aussies this summer, making twin scores of 66 and 36 for the England Lions in a hard-fought Ashes warm-up fixture in Worcester back in July.He may have to wait his turn for a while, however, with Andrew Strauss set to resume at the top of the order, and the beleaguered Bopara unlikely to be judged too hastily for his Belfast duck. But Denly’s place in the Champions Trophy squad has already been confirmed, and with England’s management desperate to move the team’s mindset on from the recent glories of the Ashes, another young and hungry challenger is exactly what a much-criticised batting line-up needs to propel its performances.And to that end, a role in England’s winter campaign in South Africa is what Denly now has in his sights, especially given the problems that Alastair Cook has suffered with his technique against the new ball all summer long. “I’ve got my one-day cap now and I want a few more, but Test cricket is the ultimate, and that would be fantastic,” he said. “My aim is to play for England, as many games as I can, and the more you play the more experience you get at playing against the top bowlers in the world. If I can put in some good performances in one-day cricket, then hopefully that will stand me in good stead.”

ScorecardSteffan Jones took five wickets as the Kent innings fell away•Getty Images

Derbyshire’s Australian left-hander Chris Rogers hit a sublime, unbeaten 116 and featured in an unbroken opening stand with partner Wayne Madsen that allowed the promotion-chasing hosts to take a second day grip on their game with Division Two leaders Kent.Having mopped up Kent’s last five wickets for only 49 in a first session delayed by overnight rain, Derbyshire set about posting their first century opening stand of the season and at stumps were sitting pretty on 186 without loss in pursuit of Kent’s first innings of 281.Sydney-born Rodgers took full toll of some woeful Kent seam bowling in tricky, blustery conditions to crack 13 fours on his way to a 130-ball hundred and duly celebrated reaching the milestone by upper-cutting a wide bouncer from Amjad Khan for six over third man and onto the remnants of the old Grandstand terracing.Indeed Rogers, the Victorian who has played one Test for his country, made Khan – a one-cap wonder for England after his sole winter appearance in the Trinidad Test – look mundane as he and Madsen coped admirably with a barrage of wayward bouncers. The bumper war was possibly the only way Khan, and his clearly frustrated skipper Rob Key, could see of restricting the Derbyshire run- rate. Either way, the ploy failed as the home openers added a chanceless 156 in the 38 overs in easing conditions after tea as Kent’s weakened attack were put to the sword.Madsen, a pugnacious 25-year-old South African, played the ideal foil in reaching an untroubled 65 in a shade over three hours as Kent plied five bowlers in a failed bid to break the stand. Khan conceded 51 from his 12 errant overs, while rookie right-arm seamer Phil Edwards proved even more costly in leaking 40 from five overs after serving up a series of half-volleys as Derbyshire reduced their first innings deficit to 95 by stumps.At the start of the second day heavy overnight rain left the Old Racecourse Ground outfield sodden and left umpires Trevor Jesty and Vanburn Holder with little option but to call for an early lunch just before noon and make a delayed start just after 12.30pm. Having sweated under the covers for a few hours the pitch played a few early tricks and Derbyshire’s steamers took full advantage by clearing up Kent’s last five wickets inside 20 overs.First day century-maker Geraint Jones lasted only six balls and added just a single to his overnight 107 before splicing a spiteful lifter from Tom Lumley to slip to spark a collapse that saw Kent dismissed by 2pm. Second top-scorer Alex Blake danced down the pitch to Graham Wagg’s spinners to stroke a delightful six over long-off on his way to an eye-catching 44 before he sliced a firm drive to backward point where Garry Park tumbled to his right to pull off a stunning catch.Simon Cook (2) clipped a comfortable return catch to Wagg, Khan (0) flicked across a straight one from Tim Groenewald to go leg before and last man Edwards gloved a bouncer to the keeper to give Steffan Jones deserved figures of five for 35.James Tredwell was left high and dry on 22 having batted for 70 minutes in a quest to secure Kent a third batting bonus point, as it was they finished 19 short as Derbyshire took control of this top-of- the-table clash.