Kent, the county side of Bangladesh pacers Hasan Mahmud and Khaled Ahmed, have secured promotion to Division One of the County Championship after finishing second in Division Two, sealing the achievement with an eight-wicket win over Gloucestershire.

Kent's promotion was effectively confirmed even before that victory was complete, after Northamptonshire, their closest rivals, lost by seven wickets to Middlesex at Lord's.

Kent finished on 198 points from 14 matches, seven points clear of Northamptonshire's 191.

Gloucestershire were bowled out for 229 in their first innings, with James Bracey making 86 and Price adding 52, before Kent replied with 353, built around Ben Compton's 126 and 55 from Bell-Drummond, to establish a commanding first-innings lead.

Khaled played a telling role with the ball, taking three wickets in the first innings and two more as Gloucestershire were dismissed for 241 in their second, leaving Kent needing 117 to win, a target they chased down for the loss of two wickets.

Zak Crawley set the tone with a boundary off the first ball of the chase and made 44, while Sam Northeast finished unbeaten on 49, striking a six and two fours off Ross Price in the final over to complete an eight-wicket victory and Kent's eighth win of the season.

Hasan's contribution came earlier in the campaign.

He took 26 wickets in four matches at an average of 15.76, the best figure among bowlers with 20 or more wickets in Division Two, before returning to Bangladesh duty ahead of the Asian Games.

Khaled, who arrived later in the season, also made an impact, taking eight wickets, including five in the first innings, during a seven-wicket win over Lancashire that put Kent firmly in contention for the promotion they have now secured.

Kent, who last featured in the top flight in 2024, finished bottom of Division Two only last season, 29 points behind Northamptonshire.

Durham were confirmed as champions, with Kent's second-place finish enough to complete a their turnaround.