Report: Warwickshire vs Kent, Metro Bank One Day Cup

Taz Ali takes another 5fer as Warwickshire completed back-to-back Metro Bank One-Day Cup wins with an emphatic 79-run victory over Kent at Rugby School.

joshstacey

2025-08-14T11:57:44.000Z

Taz Ali takes another 5fer as Warwickshire completed back-to-back Metro Bank One-Day Cup wins with an emphatic 79-run victory over Kent at Rugby School.

The Bears totalled 283 for nine largely thanks to Ed Barnard (60 from 68 balls) and Kai Smith 58 (57). On a pitch offering some turn, they coped most capably with a spin attack led by Matt Parkinson, who bowled beautifully for 10-0-36-1.

Kent replied with 204 all out, only ever partially recovering from the early straits of 19 for three. Jaydn Denly hit 52 (58) and Harry Finch 50 (62) but leg-spinner Tazeem Ali followed his five for 43 against Northamptonshire last Sunday with five for 54 as the visitors succumbed to their third defeat in three games in the competition.

In front of another excellent crowd at the lovely outground, Warwickshire chose to bat, seeking a stronger start than in their first two group games – 38 for seven and 32 for four. They got it as openers Barnard and Rob Yates (46, 44) added 97 in 14 overs before Yates drove Joey Evison to cover.

Kent’s spinners reeled the run-rate back in by taking wickets. Barnard posted a polished 52-ball half-century, passing 2,000 career List A runs in the process, but overbalanced on a sweep and was stumped off Denly. Zen Malik drove Denly to cover, Hamza Shaikh fell to a superb catch by his England U19s colleague Ekansh Singh at deep mid-wicket off Jack Leaning. Alex Davies lifted Parkinson to long off, supplying the leg-spinner with a well-deserved wicket.

At 179 for five, Warwickshire needed rebooting, and Smith and Vansh Jani (42, 36) delivered with a fluent partnership of 79 from 64 balls. Again, Kent hit back well towards the end as Fred Klaassen had Smith caught behind and Grant Stewart trapped Michael Booth and Jani lbw in the same over.

Kent’s reply started badly as they lost three wickets in four balls to lurch to 19 for three. Ben Dawkins was caught at cover off Barnard, who bowled Evison first ball. Chris Benjamin, facing his former team-mates, also bagged a golden duck when he edged Ethan Bamber and wicketkeeper Smith took a fine diving catch.

Denly and Finch rebuilt with an assured stand of 91 in 88 balls, but both perished soon after reaching their half-centuries. Denly sliced Tazeem Ali to short third man, and Finch skied an attempted big hit at Adam Sylvester.

Sylvester marked his List A debut with an excellent first spell of 5-1-7-1, and his accuracy throttled the pursuit in tandem with Tazeem’s potency. Tazeem hit the stumps of Jack Leaning and Grant Stewart and, after Booth bowled Singh 42 (54), returned to remove Parkinson and Michael Cohen in four balls and follow his maiden five-for in the previous game with another match-shaping performance.