One-Day Cup: Ravi Bopara leads Essex to Kent victory
- Published
Ravi Bopara was named Essex's one-day captain for this season
Royal London One-Day Cup, Essex County Ground |
Kent 285-8 (50 overs): Coles 91, Tredwell 47; Zaidi 3-33, Quinn 3-50 |
Essex 289-5 (49.1 overs): Bopara 71, Ryder 50; Tredwell 2-41 |
Essex won by five wickets |
Essex's Ravi Bopara led his side to a five-wicket win over Kent to take them top of the One-Day Cup South Group.
Kent slumped to 135-7, with Matthew Quinn (3-50) and Ashar Zaidi (3-33) doing the damage, but Matt Cole's (91) 140-run stand with James Tredwell (47) saw them end on a respectable 285-8.
Jesse Ryder (50) and Nick Browne (49) then gave Essex an early platform.
Bopara, who made 33 runs across three previous 2016 List A games, hit 74 not out for victory with five balls left.
Essex one-day captain Bopara's 103-run partnership with Ryan ten Doeschate (45) was the crux of his team's innings, but Kent had chances to send both back to the pavilion earlier in their respective knocks.
Ten Doeschate should have been stumped on just two and, just after Bopara had reached his half-century, Kent wicketkeeper Sam Billings failed to hold on to a difficult chance off the former England man.
The third One-Day Cup victory of the season lifts Essex above Glamorgan after four games, while Kent lie in fourth.
- Published15 May 2018
