Kent batsman Heino Kuhn is relishing being back with the Spitfires after missing their last five games because of the birth of his daughter.

Kuhn, 36, scored 140 against Essex in Kent’s opening Bob Willis Trophy match, but hasn’t featured since because of the fact his wife was due to give birth, and had he left the Kent bubble to be at the birth during a game he wouldn’t have been able to rejoin the team immediately.

The baby was then born, and Kuhn took some time off to be with his wife and his new daughter, but he is now back with the Kent team and firing, scoring an unbeaten 42 for the Spitfires on Tuesday as they beat Surrey by five wickets in their latest T20 Blast fixture.

“The two weeks I have had have been very eventful, and its just nice to be putting the Kent shirt on again” said Kuhn, speaking after Tuesday’s victory. “But sharing this time with my daughter has made it a good couple of weeks.

“She was born on August 22 – I am not sure what day that is, I have lost count of days! She is healthy, my wife is healthy; there were a tough few days, we were in hospital for three-and-a-half days. But eventually she came out, she is healthy, she is perfect, and we are a very happy family.

“We are 99% sure on a name – I reckon in the next day or two we will make it clear what her name is. 

“In the huddle before the game today I asked the guys to present me a cap because it has been so long since I have been in the 11! It was a great feeling; I just take it ball by ball and luckily today it came off.”

Kuhn, batting at number three against Surrey, made his way to the middle after 4.5 overs at 49/1, and was there at the end after 18.3 overs to see Kent over the line and help his team chase Surrey’s 161 with nine balls to spare, scoring 42 runs off 31 balls.

“That is the game of cricket” said Kuhn. “There is no such thing as an easy game.

“It was good that we could push through, especially after what happened against Middlesex where we got so close and should have won – the guys showed a lot of character.

“It has been nice to be out there. I can play my game, get a lot of singles and twos and then put the bad ball away. Luckily that reverse sweep still works! It was just nice to help get the team to a win.

“I do not like to thing too much about the game. I like to take it ball by ball – the game is already so difficult, the ball is seaming, nipping, spinning, there are slower balls, bouncers – there is so much to think about, I like to juts put that away and focus on every ball.

“When I am out there, I am just playing cricket and enjoying it.”

Kuhn saw numerous wickets fall at the other end during his innings, four to be exact, and he was joined in the middle by allrounder and number seven Grant Stewart after 12.3 overs with Kent still needing 48 runs to win.

Stewart hung around, and he and Kuhn saw Kent over the line with an unbroken partnership.

“I said to him ‘you do what you do – you are a gun, you hit the ball far. If the ball is in your area, put it away. You have got to back yourself; we will play our game the way we train, no use in doing something different’” said Kuhn.

“I think the first few balls he just tried to hit it too hard and they were not in his areas, and then I said ‘they are going wide, don’t forget to hit over cover’, and the next ball went over cover for four and that just got him into his groove.

“I think that just made him believe and he played a very good knock at the end there.”

Kent will now make the journey to Hove to face Sussex in a top of the table clash in the South group on Thursday. Sussex have two wins and a no result from their first three games and won last year’s South group, but Kuhn insisted is just another game, and the team are confident.

“It’s always a tough game” said the former South Africa international.

“They have a lot of match winners in their team, so come Thursday it will be a tough one. But we will take it game by game, not take this win for granted and just go out there with the belief that we are a very good team and that we can perform well.

“This win is important, especially after what happened at Lord’s, getting so close and then getting the tie. We definitely should have won that one and then the one before that when the rain came and cost us a point.

“Going into the next game with a win behind us will help, and I think we are at a good place at the moment. We will not rest on our laurels – we will go out and it is another game.”

Picture supplied by Kent Cricket.