Kent Spitfires have named a 17-man squad for the first game of their 2016 NatWest T20 Blast campaign against Somerset tomorrow.
Strike bowler Matt Coles is set to return to the Kent side having completed his two-match suspension, while the likes of Fabian Cowdrey, James Tredwell and David Griffiths are all set to make their first appearances of the summer if selected.
Overseas signing Tom Latham could make his first appearance in the NatWest T20 Blast competition, though there will be no Sam Billings for Kent; the England limited-overs international having extended his IPL contract with the Delhi Daredevils for a further week, as they remain in the hunt for a play-off place.
Friday night’s game will take place under the lights at Canterbury, scheduled to start at 7pm. A decent crowd is expected at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, where Kent will be looking to build on their impressive showing in the shortest format last year.
A young Spitfires side surprised many by reaching the quarter-final stage in 2015, having come out top of an extremely competitive South group. A place at Finals Day was missed out on in agonising fashion, after their game with Lancashire Lightning came down to a tie on the final ball; Kent losing out on wickets lost.
One of Kent’s star men in the competition last year was Sam Northeast, who ended the 2015 season as the third-highest T20 run scorer in the country.
The 26-year-old, currently in his first full season as Kent captain, is keen to continue that form in this year’s tournament.
“I’d always been more of a technical player, and in the early years of T20 I guess you could say I never quite got my training or technique quite right”, the 26-year-old said.
“But in the winter on 2014-15 I tried a few innovative things, worked on my range hitting and clearing the ropes and I guess that paid off.
“Once I got a method that I trusted, the confidence and the results kept rolling on and that seemed to rub off on the whole side.
“Alex Blake played superbly well and the death bowlers like Matt Coles, Mitch Claydon and David Griffiths backed us up throughout.”
The 17-man squad named offers the Spitfires a range of options with both bat and ball, and another man they will be hoping for a contribution from is Joe Denly. The 30-year-old comes into the game on the back of his making his highest First Class score – an unbeaten 206 – in this week’s County Championship draw against Northamptonshire.
“I love the atmosphere of one-day cricket at Kent with the bigger crowds, the razzmatazz and the music”, Denly said.
“It all helps get the adrenalin flowing.”
Visitors Somerset have named a 13-man squad for their visit to Canterbury, though they are without overseas signings Chris Gayle and Mahela Jayawardene.
One name that many Kent fans will recognise is that of 19-year-old wicket-keeper Ryan Davies, who moved from Kent to Somerset before the 2016 season.
Speaking on the official Somerset County Cricket Club website about returning to the club where he came through as a youngster, Davies said: “It will be a little bit of a strange experience for me having played at Canterbury for many years.
“I will be going back to a ground where I have got a lot of memories and it’s where it all started for me. Obviously I am really grateful for everything Kent have done for me over the years, but now it’s competition time so hopefully I can play my part in helping Somerset to get a win.”
Kent go into the game against Somerset having won their last four T20 matches against them, with all of those victories coming when the Spitfires have batted first.
Kent Spitfires squad: Northeast*, Denly, Bell-Drummond, Latham, Stevens, Blake, Cowdrey, Dickson, Coles, Claydon, Griffiths, Tredwell, Qayyum, Rouse, Ball, Hunn, Thomas
Somerset squad: Allenby*, Myburgh, Trego, Hildreth, Davies†, Gregory, van der Merwe, J Overton, C Overton, Leask, Arafat, Groenewald, Waller
Photographs courtesy of Sarah Ansell Photography