An English county championship match with a distinct Aussie flavour has ended in an enthralling draw in the seaside town of Blackpool after two very special tons and an inspired wicket-taking burst from among the green-and-gold contingent.
In his first county match as Lancashire skipper, 42-year-old legend Jimmy Anderson also played his part in a remarkable second-division match in which a quartet of Australians all starred.
Pride of place went to Grant Stewart, an Australian with an Italian background who has earned his spurs at Kent as a crowd-pleasing, fast-bowling allrounder.
This time he went ballistic at No.9 as Kent fought to save the match against a Lancashire side helped to a massive 9-639 declared in large part thanks to a county debut innings of 154 on Tuesday from West Australian Ashton Turner (11 fours, six sixes).
As Kent, 265 runs behind, knuckled down to try to save the match on Wednesday, Lancashire’s Australian offspinning allrounder Chris Green put them on the rack, grabbing four wickets, including three victims in just 15 balls, as the visitors slumped to 5-84.
But with defeat looking inevitable at 7-116, Stewart teamed up for an amazing, counter-attacking eighth-wicket partnership with Joey Evison to save the day.
Deciding attack was the best form of defence, Stewart went on the rampage either side of tea, going to his 50 off 42 balls by smiting three big sixes. Less than 45 minutes later he had scorched his way to a 79-ball hundred, featuring eight sixes and nine fours.
The Kalgoorlie-born Stewart, who is not deemed an “overseas player” because he has a European Union passport through his Italian mother, had in May played an even more destructive innings at No.8, plundering 182 against Gloucestershire at Bristol.
This time he and Evison smashed 182 together – an eighth-wicket record for Kent against Lancashire – only for the Aussie to fall to Anderson for 130 (122 balls, 12 fours, nine sixes) with safety having not yet been quite achieved.
Step forward another Aussie, Wes Agar, who got them to the draw with his 21 not out alongside Evision’s unbeaten 77 as Kent finished on 8-328. Green picked up 4-104.
Another Australian batter who enjoyed the introduction of the Kookaburra ball to the county season was Gloucestershire captain Cameron Bancroft, whose mammoth knock of 176 against Derbyshire at Bristol followed his first-innings 58.
His monumental second-innings effort, which was ended for the addition of just six runs to his overnight total, had spanned nearly seven and three-quarter hours and 366 balls, and helped him set Derbyshire a victory target of 316 in a minimum of 67 overs.
Derbyshire went for broke early, with their Tasmanian opener Caleb Jewell cracking 83 off 80 balls in a 177-run first-wicket partnership with Harry Came (91), who just missed out on his second ton of the match.
Australian Test spinner Todd Murphy bowled 58 overs and took five wickets in the match (3-120 and 2-114), which finished in a compelling draw with Derbyshire on 8-296, just 20 short of their target.
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