County Championship: Kent take late wickets on rain-hit day at Lancashire

Navdeep Saini removed Luke Wells and Rob Jones in consecutive deliveries

Lancashire endured a difficult start to their innings on a rain-affected day at Old Trafford with Kent taking two wickets in each session played during day one of the County Championship Division One match.

After last week's heatwave, Manchester reclaimed its reputation for inclement weather with rain and a strong wind battering the ground for most of the morning ensuring no play was possible until 15:00 BST before which the visitors had won the toss and elected to bowl.

It seemed an obvious decision in the conditions and Lancashire's in-form openers Keaton Jennings and Luke Wells faced a tough examination early on from Matt Henry and Navdeep Saini who repeatedly passed the outside edge of both batters.

Just as the first wicket pair looked to have weathered the storm, Saini produced a fine delivery to Jennings which was edged to Zak Crawley at second slip with the opener departing for 14 and the score 24-1.

Runs were at a premium but Wells was determined and the incoming Josh Bohannon full of energy as the second wicket pair scampered between the wickets and looked to have gone someway to rebuilding the innings as Henry and Saini were replaced by Nathan Gilchrist and Grant Stewart.

Bohannon had just produced the shot of the day and reached 27 with an exquisite cover drive to the boundary when Gilchrist's next delivery rose on the Bolton-born batter who edged to gulley where Jack Leaning took a brilliant diving catch.

It was a major blow for Lancashire who could not break free from Kent's tight and accurate bowling after tea with Wells the next to fall for 35 from 80 balls to the returning Saini who induced another edge to the grateful Leaning.

A moment later and Saini was on a hattrick with Rob Jones pinned in front first ball by an inswinger to leave the Red Rose 97-4 and up against it.

Steven Croft, who is leading Lancashire in this game with Dane Vilas suffering from a fractured finger, steadied the ship and he and Washington Sundar took the home side to 112-4 before the rain returned and play was abandoned for the day at around 18:15.

Report supplied by the ECB Reporters' Network.