Nottinghamshire’s dominant batting performance on the opening day of their Vitality County Championship clash against Kent has put them in a commanding position at Canterbury. The visitors reached a formidable 393 for 6 at stumps, leaving Kent facing an uphill battle to avoid relegation.
Openers Ben Slater and Haseeb Hameed set the tone for Nottinghamshire’s innings with a mammoth 196-run partnership for the first wicket. Slater, in particular, was in imperious form, smashing 160 runs from 217 deliveries, including 22 boundaries. Hameed, on the other hand, played a more patient innings, contributing 56 runs from 142 balls.
Jack Haynes continued the onslaught after the departure of Hameed, scoring a brisk 62 runs. Nottinghamshire’s total was further boosted by a staggering 37 extras, 30 of which came from no-balls.
Kent’s bowlers struggled to contain the Nottinghamshire batsmen throughout the day. Akeem Jordan, making his home debut, endured a torrid time, conceding 36 runs in his first three overs. Nathan Gilchrist and George Garrett also failed to make any significant impact.
The only bright spot for Kent was the dismissal of Slater, who was caught at first slip by Tawanda Muyeye off Gilchrist. However, Haynes and Lyndon James responded with a 60-run partnership before Haynes was caught off a bottom edge by Muyeye.
James then fell to Jordan for 34 in the penultimate over, leaving Luke Fletcher and Dane Schadendorf to bat through to stumps on 10 and 8 respectively.
Nottinghamshire’s commanding position in the match has put them in a strong position to secure their Division One status. Kent, on the other hand, face a daunting task to avoid relegation as they trail by a significant margin.
