Veteran continues stellar county season

Outgoing former Test star Kumar Sangakkara has made headlines with five successive first-class centuries in the United Kingdom, but there's another veteran, one even older than the 39-year-old Sri Lankan legend, who's arguably been the standout County Championship performer so far this season.

More than 18 months Sangakkara's senior, Kent allrounder Darren Stevens is now the leading wicket-taker in Division Two of the domestic four-day competition and has the second-highest run tally to boot. 

Quick Single: Sangakkara makes history with fabulous five

After striking a run-a-ball 44 on the opening day of Kent's clash with Sussex, Stevens collected his fourth five-wicket haul for the season to help skittle the visitors for 164 on day two of the match at Tunbridge Wells.

In isolation, the 41-year-old's competition-leading 29 wickets at 12 in four-and-a-half games would represent a stellar return. But the middle-order batsman has also scored 440 runs at 63, and at a good clip too, with a strike-rate of 89.24.

An old-fashioned medium-pacer, Stevens bowled 17 overs straight (albeit with a break for lunch) against Sussex to collect 5-40, and later explained the chance to bowl downwind had made the marathon effort a little easier.

"It felt good with the breeze at my backside for a change," Stevens said in an interview for the club's website after play. 

"I usually bowl at the bottom end. Here 'Sammy' (Northeast, Kent's captain) gave me the choice, actually. 

"I said to Sammy when we came off (for lunch), 'I'll bowl two or three and see how we go'. (But) it's hard to take yourself off when you take wickets.

"The ball has been coming out well all season."

And Stevens' secret to bowling long spells?

"It's called ibuprofen and paracetamol," he laughed.

Quick Single: Head becoming the 'complete package'

Despite scoring more than 600 runs and collecting at least 25 wickets in each of the past six first-class seasons with Kent – and is close to doing so again – Stevens has never represented England in any format.

Somewhat unusually, he didn't take his maiden first-class five-wicket haul until he was nearly 35 and playing in his 171st match (in Kent's 2011 season-opener against Essex).

But his returns at the bowling crease have improved spectacularly, having since snared 16 five-fers in less than seven seasons.

And the limited-overs formats haven't passed the right-hander by either, having earlier this month clubbed an incredible 14 sixes in an innings for Kent in the domestic one-day competition.

Steven finished with 147 off just 67 balls in a run-fest against Glamorgan in Swansea, though Kent still fell short by 15 runs.

"It's a long season, there's always 'tos' and 'fros'," Stevens said when asked if he'd foreseen his golden summer to date.

"All I wanted to do was just enjoy it, have fun and win some games for Kent. 

"Fingers crossed it keeps going my way, but I know somewhere down the line it might not."

Second-placed Kent will resume on 0-116 in their second dig, with Sussex 321 runs in arrears.