Jones leaves Surrey reeling

Yasir Arafat impressed once again with four wickets for the Spitfires © Getty Images

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Geraint Jones starred with the bat with 86 in Kent Spitfires’ 90-run Friends Provident Trophy win over Surrey Brown Caps at the Brit Oval.

Jones’ 88-ball knock helped to propel Kent to 282 for seven off 50 overs and once Surrey were reduced to 84 for six in the 21st over they were as good as out of the game.

Jon Batty (63) provided some resistance but the damage had been done by Pakistani fast bowler Yasir Arafat who finished 4-35, and Ryan McLaren (5-46) as Surrey were bundled out for 192.

Jones, 31, has not played Test or one-day international cricket since 2006 when he was discarded in favour of Chris Read on the last Ashes tour - and the emergence of Tim Ambrose, Phil Mustard and Matt Prior has kept him out of the one-day picture.

The Australian-raised wicketkeeper has not given up hope of a recall and turned the Kent innings around from a position of 52 for four in the 17th over.

He hit five fours and two sixes, putting on 92 with Justin Kemp for the fifth wicket and hitting two sixes in one over off Chris Schofield - the second of which ended up in the second tier of the pavilion.

That blow took him to his highest domestic one-day score but he perished shortly afterwards attempting an ugly heave off Pedro Collins which took the inside edge and was caught behind.

Kemp added to his 68 not out against Sussex Sharks with 63 from 87 balls, with seven fours, and there was some big hitting from Azhar Mahmood at the death.

Jon Batty's 63 only papered over Surrey's cracks

Mahmood smashed 62 from 43 balls against the county he left in the winter, hitting three sixes before inevitably holing out on the boundary in the penultimate over.

Pedro Collins had provided the initial danger for Surrey, picking up the wicket of Rob Key, leg before in his first over and bowling Joe Denly in the seventh.

He returned to get rid of Jones and Mahmood, finishing with 4-46 from ten whilst Matt Nicholson took 2-34.

The Surrey innings never got going with Arafat having Scott Newman caught behind in the third over and the in-form James Benning, fresh from a hundred at Lord’s on Sunday, leg before although the batsman appeared to think it was too high.

Mahmood then bowled dangerman Mark Ramprakash off his inside edge and Arafat found Ali Brown’s outside edge.

Jones supplemented his innings by taking an outstanding catch in front of first slip and Surrey were in the mire.

Batty reached his half-century off 81 balls and put on 49 with Nicholson for the seventh wicket but McLaren had the Australian lbw for 24, had Neil Saker caught in the deep for 20 and ended Batty’s effort when he was caught at gully.