Cricket: England Put Durham on Their Way

If an England selector had been here - David Graveney came and went on Wednesday - he would have been purring. For the news could scarcely be better ahead of next week's first Test against the West Indies as three of Durham's finest announced themselves to be in good fettle. Yesterday morning Liam Plunkett completed a five-wicket haul, while Steve Harmison grabbed a couple to finish with four of his own, and then during the afternoon Paul Collingwood scored some briefly impressive runs.

On the back of those performances from their elite trio - and the presence of the run-drunk Australian batsman Michael Di Venuto - Durham moved to a position of superiority late yesterday as Dale Benkenstein and Garry Park's constructive sixth-wicket partnership improved a second innings that had threatened to be undone by afternoon rain break of 90 minutes that juiced up the pitch.

It was that sort of day. Resuming on 361 for six, 46 behind, Kent had designs on a hefty lead. But it took just four balls for them to disappear in the midst of a wicked leg-cutter from Harmison, far too good for Yasir Arafat's half-cocked prod. If the Pakistani wandered off looking rather bemused that was nothing compared to the befuddlement displayed by Ryan McLaren when Plunkett's first ball of the day swung back at the left-hander and trimmed his off-stump.

It was not long before Plunkett had another - giving him a first five-wicket haul since the end of the summer of 2005 - when Andrew Hall could only sky a bouncer to Harmison at fine leg. It was due reward for Plunkett, because he had consistently outbowled Harmison, and indeed Graham Onions, throughout the innings. He looks confident, and the swing and devil in his bowling are definitely present.

Harmison's figures of 24.3-3-75-4 flattered him a little. After Robbie Joseph had improbably secured a final bonus batting point by hooking Plunkett for six, the Ashington beanpole had James Tredwell caught gloving a short ball down the leg-side. But in general his radar had been a little wonky, not helped inevitably by the near-gale-force winds of the second day or by the lingering after-effects of sickness suffered last weekend. Nonetheless 19 championship wickets at just under 15 in three matches so far this season will do his state of mind no end of good going into next week.

Harmison might have spared a thought yesterday for his winter team-mate Geraint Jones, whose travails continued (already one drop and just one run) with his grassing of a dolly presented by Di Venuto on 28 in the second innings. It could have been so much more costly but for Di Venuto's surprising shouldering of arms, three balls after the rain delay, on 58.

Collingwood too fell on that score, his fifty having come off just 36 balls with seven fours and a hooked six off McLaren, but he too required some luck. After Will Smith had departed leg-before playing across the line, Collingwood arrived on a pair. How Rob Key, the Kent captain, must have wished he had placed a third slip as the edge flew there first ball off Hall.

Another edge went untouched off Arafat soon after, but once Collingwood had driven sweetly through extra cover he exuded significant authority. He forced especially effectively off the back foot through the off-side but the shot's bottom-handed dominance proved his downfall when he played on, with crooked bat, to Arafat.