Zak Crawley's struggles with the bat continued as he fell for 15 in Kent's second innings against Derbyshire, further jeopardizing his spot in the England team. Despite Crawley's disappointing performance, Kent is well-positioned, ending day two with a lead of 86 and having lost only two wickets.
Earlier, Kent's bowlers had restricted Derbyshire to 304, with Keith Dudgeon claiming four wickets. Emilio Gay, meanwhile, enhanced his Test prospects with an unbeaten 75 as Durham replied to Middlesex's 430. Ryan Higgins had earlier scored 131 for Middlesex, but Gay's form has given Durham a solid foundation, reaching 135 for one by the close. Ollie Pope, hoping to catch the eye of England selectors, will aim to build on his 14 not out as Surrey seeks a substantial first-innings lead over Sussex.
Surrey closed on 292 for two in response to Sussex's 358 for nine declared, with Dominic Sibley unbeaten on 116 and Rory Burns having contributed 77. Elsewhere, Yorkshire fought back against Somerset, dismissing their hosts for 274 after they had been 201 for four, though Yorkshire still trails by 99 runs with 10 wickets remaining. Olly Stone's five-wicket haul has put Nottinghamshire in control against Leicestershire, reducing the hosts to 220 for eight in response to Nottinghamshire's 490. Kiran Carlson scored a double century, finishing with 209, as Glamorgan declared on 536 for seven against Hampshire, who were 58 for no loss at the end of a rain-affected day.
Ricardo Vasconcelos scored a century for Northamptonshire, who batted out the day against Worcestershire to reach 366 for five, holding a first-innings lead of 60.