COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION ONE, Canterbury:
CLOSE OF PLAY, DAY ONE: Lancashire 266 v Kent 53-2
Kent 3pts, Lancs 2pts
Match scorecard

Saj Mahmood hit his fifth half-century of the season for Lancashire

Lancashire fast bowler Saj Mahmood hit a quickfire half-century to help his side recover from trouble against relegation rivals Kent at Canterbury.

The visitors looked likely to go without any batting bonus points when Mahmood joined Steven Croft on 157-7.

But Mahmood smashed three sixes in his 60 off 55 balls to help Croft (65) take Lancashire to 268 all out.

Kent replied on 53-2, visiting skipper Glen Chapple taking both wickets, with Joe Denly still there at stumps on 32.

Mahmood's knock was his fifth first-class half-century of the summer, while the consistent Croft has now passed 50 eight times in 12 Championship matches in 2010.

Having won the toss in bright conditions, Lancashire had appeared in little trouble as openers Paul Horton and Smith posted 50 in 18 overs.

Having elected to drop their overseas wrist spinner Malinga Bandara in favour of an extra pace bowler, Kent were struggling for an opening until occasional seamer Stevens broke through.

Military medium at best, Stevens took advantage of some late morning cloud cover to grab three wickets in 13 balls as Kent claimed four Lancashire scalps for one run in the space of 31 balls.

But Lancashire re-grouped during the afternoon with contrasting half-centuries from Croft (who took almost twice as many balls) and Mahmood.

Having been offered a life at second slip before he had scored, Kent captain Rob Key reached just eight from 29 balls before his leaden-footed waft flew to second slip.

Then, just before stumps, Sam Northeast's painful season continued when he walked across his stumps, also against Chapple, to go lbw for a fourth-ball duck.

But Denly looked all set at the close as seventh-placed Kent, five points adrift, bid to make up ground on fifth-placed Lancashire in relegation battle that could yet involve all but the top three.

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