Kent Spitfires will travel to Hove on Thursday to take on Sussex Sharks with the aim of resisting back-to-back wins in the 2020 T20 Blast.
Matt Walker’s men claimed a five wicket win against oldest rivals Surrey on Tuesday, largely thanks to the returning Heino Kuhn’s unbeaten 42, to register their first win of the competition following a no result and a tie, and they will be looking to build on that win when they take on a Sussex side who currently sit top of the South group.
Though Thursday’s hosts saw their opening match against Surrey washed out, they have posted victories against Hampshire and Middlesex since, and are one point ahead of second-placed Kent at the top of the table.
In their last outing against Middlesex, Sussex looked down and out at 67/5, but an unbeaten 79 from David Wiese helped the Sharks over the line.
Wiese is a key member of Sussex’s team, and the likes of Phil Salt, Luke Wright, Ravi Bopara, Ollie Robinson and Tymal Mills are names that will be familiar to even the casual fan in a team stacked with talent.
Kent have named a 14 man squad for the game, with only Hamidullah Qadri dropping out of the setup form the Surrey win.
Tim Groenewald is expected to keep his place ahead of Calum Haggett after impressing with figures of 2/31 from his four overs on Tuesday. Daniel Bell-Drummond, who averages 62.50 in the tournament, Zak Crawley and Heino Kuhn will form a formidable top three for Kent, with Imran Qayyum, who is yet to claim a wicket this year, is likely to be the spin option on the day.
Kent Spitfires squad to face Sussex Sharks: Daniel Bell-Drummond (C), Alex Blake, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Tim Groenewald, Calum Haggett, Fred Klaassen, Heino Kuhn, Jack Leaning, Matt Milnes, Marcus O’Riordan, Imran Qayyum, Ollie Robinson, Grant Stewart.
Sussex Sharks squad to face Kent Spitfires: Luke Wright (C), Will Beer, Ravi Bopara, Danny Briggs, Ben Brown, Jack Carson, Harry Finch, George Garton, Stuart Meaker, Tymal Mills, Delray Rawlins, Ollie Robinson, Phil Salt, Aaron Thomason, David Wiese.