County Championship: Surrey take late wickets to turn tide against Kent

Kent's England opener Zak Crawley has now made 50 in the match after adding an unbeaten 31 to his first-innings 19

Division One leaders Surrey took control of their County Championship match against Kent as Tom Lawes and Sean Abbott took three wickets between them in the final 16 balls of the day.

Abbott (78) and Gus Atkinson (55 not out) helped Surrey out of a hole to total 362 for a first-innings lead of 84.

Kent then slumped from 78-1 to 80-4 by the close as they lost Tawanda Muyeye, nightwatchman Wes Agar and Jack Leaning in a dramatic finish, watched from the other end by England opener Zak Crawley, who will resume on Saturday morning on 31.

Earlier, at 211-7, replying to the Kent total of 278, Surrey were struggling for mid-game parity until Abbott's powerful 88-ball 78 and Atkinson's blistering half-century from number 10, with three sixes and six fours.

It was also a day to remember for Kent debutant Arafat Bhuiyan, the Bangladesh-born seamer and UK passport holder who was last weekend playing in the Kent League for Blackheath but took 4-65 including the notable wickets of England trio Ollie Pope, Ben Foakes, Will Jacks and Jamie Smith.

Having earned an 84-run first-innings lead, Surrey then claimed only the wicket of Ben Compton as Kent closed to within eight runs of wiping out the deficit.

Muyeye uppercut an Atkinson short ball for six over third man in an entertaining if streaky 42, dominating a partnership of 58 with Crawley.

But Lawes struck in his second over when the Zimbabwean skewed him to mid on, Agar was bowled for a duck by Abbott off an inside edge in the next over. And then just five balls later Leaning was bowled by Lawes to end play for the day.