Kent Cricket 2026
So, a new season and a new thread required. Feel that it will be another season of transition but here's hoping we surprise ourselves.
Link to all known fixtures:
https://www.kentcricket.co.uk/fixtures-and-results/?team-category=mens-first-team&competition-category=&venue-category=
Comments
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According to the Guardian, Sussex are one of five counties that are in the "red" zone so far as their finances are concerned and are the latest, following Middlesex, to be placed in "special measures" by the ECB due to alleged financial mismanagement and breaches of the governing body’s sustainability regulations. Their most recently published accounts for 2024 showed that Sussex recorded an operating loss of £297,000, but their losses for last year are understood to have been far greater.
The question is an obvious one - is Kent one of the others in financial trouble? The ECB will not allow the windfall from the Hundred to be utilised to fund players' salaries so that might explain why we aren't seeing more high profile players joining the Club.0 -
Addick Addict said:According to the Guardian, Sussex are one of five counties that are in the "red" zone so far as their finances are concerned and are the latest, following Middlesex, to be placed in "special measures" by the ECB due to alleged financial mismanagement and breaches of the governing body’s sustainability regulations. Their most recently published accounts for 2024 showed that Sussex recorded an operating loss of £297,000, but their losses for last year are understood to have been far greater.
The question is an obvious one - is Kent one of the others in financial trouble? The ECB will not allow the windfall from the Hundred to be utilised to fund players' salaries so that might explain why we aren't seeing more high profile players joining the Club.
This actually doesn't surprise me. There's been some off the field stuff tried that really hasn't worked and I'm not convinced that Danny Briggs and Leaning on 3 year deals is overly sensible management.
Would not be surprised if it's all non test hosting counties in trouble.1 -
Haven’t they tried to build a hotel and/or business center at hove ?0
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Built a load of flats out the front but there's not a load of space for much else. Converted the bottom of the new stand into a Sixes Cricket Bar but they've gone into administration.billysboots said:Haven’t they tried to build a hotel and/or business center at hove ?
There's some business centre/offices on the far side but I don't know how much they're used0 -
An overseas all rounder! Senuran Muthusamy signs for the blast and 8 count games
https://www.kentcricket.co.uk/news/senuran-muthusamy-joins-kent-for-majority-of-2026-season/
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Slow left armer.
Nice to have someone around for a decent length of time, but interesting that despite being here for the rest of the season, once the Blast starts, it doesn't mention him playing in the 50 over games.1 -
Hoping for a deal in the other comp maybe?killerandflash said:Slow left armer.
Nice to have someone around for a decent length of time, but interesting that despite being here for the rest of the season, once the Blast starts, it doesn't mention him playing in the 50 over games.0 -
So, according to the official site, we now have a notional 24-man squad albeit the length of contracts signed by DBD, Klaassen and Crawley have still to be confirmed:
Bell-Drummond (batter)
Benjamin (batter/keeper)
Billings (keeper/batter, white ball only)
Cohen (seamer)
Crawley (batter)
Compton (batter)
Curtiss (seamer/batter)
Dawkins (batter/keeper)
Jaydn Denly (batter/spinner)
Joe Denly (batter/spinner)
Dudgeon (seamer)
Evison (batter/seamer)
Finch (keeper/batter)
Flintoff (seamer/batter)
Klaassen (seamer, white ball only)
Milnes (seamer)
Muthusamy (spinner/batter, from 22 May-27 September)
Muyeye (batter)
Northeast (batter)
Parkinson (spinner)
Quinn (seamer)
Ekansh Singh (batter/seamer)
Jas Singh (seamer)
Stewart (seamer/batter)
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Once Muthusamy arrives, our first choice side in the CC might look something like this:
Crawley
Compton
Northeast
Bell-Drummond
Muyeye
Evison
Muthusamy
Finch
Stewart
Dudgeon
Milnes
Leaving out the two white ball players, that would make our 2nd XI as below - it looks remarkably similar to some of the teams we were forced to put out at times last season:
Dawkins
Jaydn Denly
Benjamin
Joe Denly
Ekansh Singh
Curtiss
Flintoff
Jas Singh
Parkinson
Cohen
Quinn
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I'm glad you missed the 'y' out of county in that typo.fenaddick said:An overseas all rounder! Senuran Muthusamy signs for the blast and 8 count games
https://www.kentcricket.co.uk/news/senuran-muthusamy-joins-kent-for-majority-of-2026-season/2 -
Sponsored links:
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No you misunderstand, he’s a vampirethai malaysia addick said:
I'm glad you missed the 'y' out of county in that typo.fenaddick said:An overseas all rounder! Senuran Muthusamy signs for the blast and 8 count games
https://www.kentcricket.co.uk/news/senuran-muthusamy-joins-kent-for-majority-of-2026-season/4 -
For those that aren't too familiar with Muthusamy, he is currently playing for the Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20 who are batting, albeit we are unlikely to see him to do so as he is down to bat at 10. In the competition itself, he has taken 9 wickets at 17.00 with an E/R of 7.52.fenaddick said:An overseas all rounder! Senuran Muthusamy signs for the blast and 8 count games
https://www.kentcricket.co.uk/news/senuran-muthusamy-joins-kent-for-majority-of-2026-season/1 -
Glenton Sturman (fantastic name) joins for the first 6 Championship games, before Muthusamy joins. Sturman plays domestically with Dudgeon in SA
https://www.kentcricket.co.uk/news/glenton-stuurman-joins-kent-for-county-championship-start/
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Interesting, and possibly quite clever, to have an overseas paceman for the start of the season, then a spinner when the weather is better.fenaddick said:Glenton Sturman (fantastic name) joins for the first 6 Championship games, before Muthusamy joins. Sturman plays domestically with Dudgeon in SA
https://www.kentcricket.co.uk/news/glenton-stuurman-joins-kent-for-county-championship-start/1 -
Mutusamy, in a straight knockout game in the SA20, returned figures of 4-0-15-3 today.Addick Addict said:
For those that aren't too familiar with Muthusamy, he is currently playing for the Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20 who are batting, albeit we are unlikely to see him to do so as he is down to bat at 10. In the competition itself, he has taken 9 wickets at 17.00 with an E/R of 7.52.fenaddick said:An overseas all rounder! Senuran Muthusamy signs for the blast and 8 count games
https://www.kentcricket.co.uk/news/senuran-muthusamy-joins-kent-for-majority-of-2026-season/0 -
Simon Cook previews the season. In this he points out that Harry Finch was bowling seam up for the England U19s when he played for them.
https://www.kentcricket.co.uk/news/simon-cook-were-looking-for-our-youngsters-to-grow-as-much-as-they-possibly-can/0 -
Yeah Finch was a seam bowling all-rounder coming through at Sussex, just got stuck behind probably one of our finest top orders especially in white ball.Addick Addict said:Simon Cook previews the season. In this he points out that Harry Finch was bowling seam up for the England U19s when he played for them.
https://www.kentcricket.co.uk/news/simon-cook-were-looking-for-our-youngsters-to-grow-as-much-as-they-possibly-can/1 -
https://www.kentcricket.co.uk/event/174th-canterbury-cricket-week/?utm_source=Klaviyo&utm_medium=campaign&_kx=w7fVgqcoWEOIry2c6OVqsHrzei5h0_Kpqkdt-GbxkB0.T8SiUm
Canterbury week not surprisingly in June (19th to 28th), so they can get a CC game and 2 Blast matches.1 -
Klaassen has signed a new two-year white-ball contract 'til at least the end of the 2027 season.
I make it that this just leaves Crawley's future to be resolved.2 -
Revised squad:
Bell-Drummond (batter)
Benjamin (batter/keeper)
Billings (keeper/batter, white ball only)
Cohen (seamer)
Crawley (batter)
Compton (batter)
Curtiss (seamer/batter)
Dawkins (batter/keeper)
Jaydn Denly (batter/spinner)
Joe Denly (batter/spinner)
Dudgeon (seamer)
Evison (batter/seamer)
Finch (keeper/batter)
Flintoff (seamer/batter)
Klaassen (seamer, white ball only)
Milnes (seamer)
Muthusamy (spinner/batter, from 22 May -27 September)
Muyeye (batter)
Northeast (batter)
Parkinson (spinner)
Quinn (seamer)
Ekansh Singh (batter/seamer)
Jas Singh (seamer)
Stewart (seamer/batter)
Sturman (seamer, from 3 April - 16 May)0 -
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He can keep Cohen, Jas and Quinn company in the treatment room...Addick Addict said:Klaassen has signed a new two-year white-ball contract 'til at least the end of the 2027 season.
I make it that this just leaves Crawley's future to be resolved.0 -
Does that squad feel an experienced seamer light still with the amount of injury prone ones you've got there?0
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Different season, same crocked or mediocre bowlers being signed up. The club has no idea have they0
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As explained above, Kent can't throw money at it. The financial differential between those Test/Hundred hosting counties and the rest is massive and the five clubs in the "red" zone that are ripe for special measures must be from the other 10 counties.Addick Addict said:According to the Guardian, Sussex are one of five counties that are in the "red" zone so far as their finances are concerned and are the latest, following Middlesex, to be placed in "special measures" by the ECB due to alleged financial mismanagement and breaches of the governing body’s sustainability regulations. Their most recently published accounts for 2024 showed that Sussex recorded an operating loss of £297,000, but their losses for last year are understood to have been far greater.
The question is an obvious one - is Kent one of the others in financial trouble? The ECB will not allow the windfall from the Hundred to be utilised to fund players' salaries so that might explain why we aren't seeing more high profile players joining the Club.
Providing they do stay fit, the signings of Dudgeon (8-69 in his one and only game for us last season). Milnes, Sturman and Murthusamy are positive ones as is that of Northeast. Efectively, they will, all things being well, be replacing the likes of Gilchrist (6), Agar (4), Kashif Ali (6), Garrett (4), Ball (2), Richards (1), Leaning (8) and O'Riordan (0) who played 31 CC matches between them. Of those, Gilchrist is possibly the only one we are likely to miss.
Having Stewart and Evison in the same side as those but, unlike last season, being the icing and not the cake makes our attack a stronger one too. As for the other bowlers, Cohen does have the potential and is only a one-year contract anyway, Quinn is being paid to coach and help with the 2s, Flintoff and Curtiss are rookies and that leaves Jas as a main seamer and Ekansh as a back up if and when he plays.
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I see that the Sussex chairman has resigned following Sussex receiving 12-point deduction for the 2026 County Championship (they've also been docked a point each for the T20 Blast and One-Day Cup, with similar suspended penalties for all three competitions hanging over them for the 2027 and 2028 seasons) as a result of their "sustained operating losses" in the last financial year.
A player salary cap will be put in place until 2028 and Sussex must provide the England and Wales Cricket Board with a three‑year business plan and show sustainable year‑on‑year operating profits for the same period.
If I were a county Chairman I would put a block on them signing John Simpson. He was allowed to leave before the end of his contract at Middlesex due to the special measures that were placed on them and the club he joined, Sussex, are now in the same position. Might be cheaper for them to let Ollie Robinson go though. When I said I thought Ollie Robinson might return to Kent one day, I didn't mean that one. We can't afford him anyway!
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Was a rather feisty members meeting last night that didn't go down well at all. No overseas for the first half of the Championship, just Jaydev Unadkat for the second half and Dan Hughes only back for T20. So signing Danny Briggs and Jack Leaning on 3 year deals was completely and utterly stupid.Addick Addict said:I see that the Sussex chairman has resigned following Sussex receiving 12-point deduction for the 2026 County Championship (they've also been docked a point each for the T20 Blast and One-Day Cup, with similar suspended penalties for all three competitions hanging over them for the 2027 and 2028 seasons) as a result of their "sustained operating losses" in the last financial year.
A player salary cap will be put in place until 2028 and Sussex must provide the England and Wales Cricket Board with a three‑year business plan and show sustainable year‑on‑year operating profits for the same period.
If I were a county Chairman I would put a block on them signing John Simpson. He was allowed to leave before the end of his contract at Middlesex due to the special measures that were placed on them and the club he joined, Sussex, are now in the same position. Might be cheaper for them to let Ollie Robinson go though. When I said I thought Ollie Robinson might return to Kent one day, I didn't mean that one. We can't afford him anyway!
Paul Farbrace openly said he'd leave at the end of the season if it meant staff kept their jobs and we could find a coach on less money.
A cohort of ex players and sponsors led by Matt Prior, Mushtaq Ahmed and Chris Adams have openly called for the entire board to resign.
Would expect the vultures to circle for Haines,Coles, Carson, Crocombe , Hunt etc. Shame Cricket doesn't do transfer fees or Sussex would be the Brighton of County Cricket.1 -
Doesn't sound good at all. Am I right in saying that Sussex had a benefactor who was supporting the Club's Foundation? The reason I ask is that three seasons ago I took Seb to a Kent U18 game at Blackstone and Sussex had three coaches, a physio and a couple of analysts too. Kent had Neil Taylor and that was it. Admittedly, Kent usually had two coaches but, even so, the disparity between the two setups was there for all to see. It was then that I was told that this benefactor was the one financing Sussex's age group teams via the Foundation.MarcusH26 said:
Was a rather feisty members meeting last night that didn't go down well at all. No overseas for the first half of the Championship, just Jaydev Unadkat for the second half and Dan Hughes only back for T20. So signing Danny Briggs and Jack Leaning on 3 year deals was completely and utterly stupid.Addick Addict said:I see that the Sussex chairman has resigned following Sussex receiving 12-point deduction for the 2026 County Championship (they've also been docked a point each for the T20 Blast and One-Day Cup, with similar suspended penalties for all three competitions hanging over them for the 2027 and 2028 seasons) as a result of their "sustained operating losses" in the last financial year.
A player salary cap will be put in place until 2028 and Sussex must provide the England and Wales Cricket Board with a three‑year business plan and show sustainable year‑on‑year operating profits for the same period.
If I were a county Chairman I would put a block on them signing John Simpson. He was allowed to leave before the end of his contract at Middlesex due to the special measures that were placed on them and the club he joined, Sussex, are now in the same position. Might be cheaper for them to let Ollie Robinson go though. When I said I thought Ollie Robinson might return to Kent one day, I didn't mean that one. We can't afford him anyway!
Paul Farbrace openly said he'd leave at the end of the season if it meant staff kept their jobs and we could find a coach on less money.
A cohort of ex players and sponsors led by Matt Prior, Mushtaq Ahmed and Chris Adams have openly called for the entire board to resign.
Would expect the vultures to circle for Haines,Coles, Carson, Crocombe , Hunt etc. Shame Cricket doesn't do transfer fees or Sussex would be the Brighton of County Cricket.
If that is the case then I wonder if the funding provided by the individual extended beyond the juniors and this has now stopped hence the issues facing the Club now?1 -
For a county with financial issues, to give Leaning a 3 year deal was baffling. A 32 year old, who had been bang average in a poor team.MarcusH26 said:
Was a rather feisty members meeting last night that didn't go down well at all. No overseas for the first half of the Championship, just Jaydev Unadkat for the second half and Dan Hughes only back for T20. So signing Danny Briggs and Jack Leaning on 3 year deals was completely and utterly stupid.Addick Addict said:I see that the Sussex chairman has resigned following Sussex receiving 12-point deduction for the 2026 County Championship (they've also been docked a point each for the T20 Blast and One-Day Cup, with similar suspended penalties for all three competitions hanging over them for the 2027 and 2028 seasons) as a result of their "sustained operating losses" in the last financial year.
A player salary cap will be put in place until 2028 and Sussex must provide the England and Wales Cricket Board with a three‑year business plan and show sustainable year‑on‑year operating profits for the same period.
If I were a county Chairman I would put a block on them signing John Simpson. He was allowed to leave before the end of his contract at Middlesex due to the special measures that were placed on them and the club he joined, Sussex, are now in the same position. Might be cheaper for them to let Ollie Robinson go though. When I said I thought Ollie Robinson might return to Kent one day, I didn't mean that one. We can't afford him anyway!
Paul Farbrace openly said he'd leave at the end of the season if it meant staff kept their jobs and we could find a coach on less money.
A cohort of ex players and sponsors led by Matt Prior, Mushtaq Ahmed and Chris Adams have openly called for the entire board to resign.
Would expect the vultures to circle for Haines,Coles, Carson, Crocombe , Hunt etc. Shame Cricket doesn't do transfer fees or Sussex would be the Brighton of County Cricket.0 -
Yeah there's been a link to the Rod Aldridge Foundation/Academy for a while , Mark Robinson is their director of Cricket and they've just opened the biggest nets facility in the northern hemisphere up on the University campus at Falmer by the AMEX.Addick Addict said:
Doesn't sound good at all. Am I right in saying that Sussex had a benefactor who was supporting the Club's Foundation? The reason I ask is that three seasons ago I took Seb to a Kent U18 game at Blackstone and Sussex had three coaches, a physio and a couple of analysts too. Kent had Neil Taylor and that was it. Admittedly, Kent usually had two coaches but, even so, the disparity between the two setups was there for all to see. It was then that I was told that this benefactor was the one financing Sussex's age group teams via the Foundation.MarcusH26 said:
Was a rather feisty members meeting last night that didn't go down well at all. No overseas for the first half of the Championship, just Jaydev Unadkat for the second half and Dan Hughes only back for T20. So signing Danny Briggs and Jack Leaning on 3 year deals was completely and utterly stupid.Addick Addict said:I see that the Sussex chairman has resigned following Sussex receiving 12-point deduction for the 2026 County Championship (they've also been docked a point each for the T20 Blast and One-Day Cup, with similar suspended penalties for all three competitions hanging over them for the 2027 and 2028 seasons) as a result of their "sustained operating losses" in the last financial year.
A player salary cap will be put in place until 2028 and Sussex must provide the England and Wales Cricket Board with a three‑year business plan and show sustainable year‑on‑year operating profits for the same period.
If I were a county Chairman I would put a block on them signing John Simpson. He was allowed to leave before the end of his contract at Middlesex due to the special measures that were placed on them and the club he joined, Sussex, are now in the same position. Might be cheaper for them to let Ollie Robinson go though. When I said I thought Ollie Robinson might return to Kent one day, I didn't mean that one. We can't afford him anyway!
Paul Farbrace openly said he'd leave at the end of the season if it meant staff kept their jobs and we could find a coach on less money.
A cohort of ex players and sponsors led by Matt Prior, Mushtaq Ahmed and Chris Adams have openly called for the entire board to resign.
Would expect the vultures to circle for Haines,Coles, Carson, Crocombe , Hunt etc. Shame Cricket doesn't do transfer fees or Sussex would be the Brighton of County Cricket.
If that is the case then I wonder if the funding provided by the individual extended beyond the juniors and this has now stopped hence the issues facing the Club now?
I'm not sure the partnership has ever extended beyond the junior setup though in terms of funding.1 -
Yeah the rumours that we were after a senior player in the top order did the rounds for most of the summer , no one expected a 3 year deal for Jack Leaning to be the answer. That's now left us with a huge hole to fill opening in the Championship without Hughes.killerandflash said:
For a county with financial issues, to give Leaning a 3 year deal was baffling. A 32 year old, who had been bang average in a poor team.MarcusH26 said:
Was a rather feisty members meeting last night that didn't go down well at all. No overseas for the first half of the Championship, just Jaydev Unadkat for the second half and Dan Hughes only back for T20. So signing Danny Briggs and Jack Leaning on 3 year deals was completely and utterly stupid.Addick Addict said:I see that the Sussex chairman has resigned following Sussex receiving 12-point deduction for the 2026 County Championship (they've also been docked a point each for the T20 Blast and One-Day Cup, with similar suspended penalties for all three competitions hanging over them for the 2027 and 2028 seasons) as a result of their "sustained operating losses" in the last financial year.
A player salary cap will be put in place until 2028 and Sussex must provide the England and Wales Cricket Board with a three‑year business plan and show sustainable year‑on‑year operating profits for the same period.
If I were a county Chairman I would put a block on them signing John Simpson. He was allowed to leave before the end of his contract at Middlesex due to the special measures that were placed on them and the club he joined, Sussex, are now in the same position. Might be cheaper for them to let Ollie Robinson go though. When I said I thought Ollie Robinson might return to Kent one day, I didn't mean that one. We can't afford him anyway!
Paul Farbrace openly said he'd leave at the end of the season if it meant staff kept their jobs and we could find a coach on less money.
A cohort of ex players and sponsors led by Matt Prior, Mushtaq Ahmed and Chris Adams have openly called for the entire board to resign.
Would expect the vultures to circle for Haines,Coles, Carson, Crocombe , Hunt etc. Shame Cricket doesn't do transfer fees or Sussex would be the Brighton of County Cricket.0
