Kent’s veteran all-rounder Darren Stevens again proved that there is no substitute for experience by becoming only the second player to reach the 5,000 points landmark in the Professional Cricketers’ Most Valuable Player Rankings this week.

The 41-year-old returned career-best bowling figures of eight for 75 in the first innings of the rain-blighted Specsavers County Championship draw with his former county Leicestershire at Canterbury.

Stevens earned himself 30 rankings points for his efforts and ended the match with a handy haul of 39 PCA MVP points.

In the process, Stevens moved to 5,009 points across all formats since the PCA MVP Rankings were introduced in 2007, a figure bettered only by Nottinghamshire all-rounder Samit Patel.

Patel became the first man to accrue 5,000 rankings points in June and he has now pushed on to 5,232 points.

Patel also leads this season’s overall PCA MVP with 479 points in all competitions but Stevens is in the hunt for prize. His haul against Leicestershire took him to 397 for the season and to sixth place in the overall rankings, 82 points behind Patel.

But Stevens is now top of the championship rankings with 275 points, nine more than Hampshire’s former South Africa fast bowler Kyle Abbott who sat out this week’s round of matches.

The PCA MVP Rankings system identifies the match-winners and key influencers of matches throughout the domestic season.

 

The formula takes into account conditions, quality of opposition, captaincy and strike-rates as well as runs scored and wickets taken.

Opening batsman Joe Denly is Kent’s second highest-placed player in the championship PCA MVP in 24^th position with 157 points with all-rounder Matt Coles two places and eight points further back.

Kent captain Sam Northeast (64^th) and batsman Sean Dickson (92^nd) are also in the championship top 100.

Denly is 11^th in the overall rankings with 367 points in all formats with opening batsman Daniel Bell-Drummond 32^nd (287 points)  and Northeast 50^th (251 points).

Coles, who is 55^th on 241 points, is also pushing for a place in the top 50.

To see the full PCA MVP table click here.