County Championship: Northants tighten grip against Kent

Muhammad Azharullah's half century was the first of his career

Kent face an uphill struggle to avoid defeat after the Northants tail wagged strongly on day two in Canterbury.

Ben Duckett, 94 not out overnight, soon reached his century and moved on to 145 before he was lbw to James Tredwell.

Northants subsided to 305-8 before Muhammad Azharullah (58 not out) and Ben Sanderson (42) added 82 in 14 overs as the visitors made 398 all out.

Trailing by 231, Kent lost Daniel Bell-Drummond for 26 as they reached the close on 81-1, still 150 in arrears.

Bell-Drummond received his county cap, along with team-mate Sam Billings, during the lunch interval, but chopped an attempted cut into his stumps off Sanderson and it was left to Rob Key (27) and Joe Denly (20) to see it through to stumps.

Earlier, 20-year-old Duckett brought up his third hundred in four Championship games off 115 balls, and he batted for almost four and three quarter hours in total before he was out just nine runs short of his career-best score.

Tredwell (3-59) was the pick of Kent's bowlers, but it was Calum Haggett who ended the Azharullah-Sanderson partnership, by having the latter caught by Ben Harmison at mid-wicket.