Kent Cricket 2024

Jas caught at short leg off Steel. Start the engines!

Arafat making Roach look very ordinary - 6, 4 , 4. 2 

262 all out. Surrey win by an innings and 37 runs. Parkinson last man out for 39 (147) with Arafat left stranded on 22* (22)

98 players have batted four or more times this season. Only one has reached 50 four times. In his case he has only batted on four occasions too. He averages 78.00 in Division 1 and has a strike rate of 87.31. Last season he hit three hundreds and five fifties from 18 innings and averaged 58.18 with a strike rate of 88.16. No player in the country had that high an average with that level of strike rate. He's also one of the best keepers in the country. His name is Ollie Robinson (and he's not the current Sussex version).

Three seasons ago I warned us that we were backing the wrong horse in welcoming Billings back from the IPL and from carrying the drinks for England without any evidence whatsoever that he is improving the side (averaged 28.66, 29.80, 23.83 and 9.20 for 2020-23 inclusive) and that this would have repercussions. Ultimately, Billings made the decision that he didn't want to play red ball anymore. However, the damage was done.

That said, both Robinson and Cox (average 73.75) have seemingly benefitted from getting away from Kent. Whether that is a coincidence I honestly do not know but I do recognise that a fresh start in a side where a player is, more or less, guaranteed their place is infinitely better than constantly looking over your shoulder with the pressure of knowing that even if you do get runs you will be dropped for the returning international whether that person improves the side or not. Why wouldn't they improve the side? Well, one reason might be because, having been playing for England, they struggle to raise their game upon their return to county level principally I expect because it isn't as important and the counties aren't their "employers" anyway - for example, those that have played county cricket this season from our top six in India and their averages are Duckett (24.50), Crawley (4.50), Pope (11.00) and Root (22.50). I'm not for one minute suggesting that this is a conscious thing either. Another reason is that their return can actually de-stabilise the dressing room unity. Not necessarily in an overt way but being dropped from a cricket team isn't like being being left out of the starting XI in an 18 man match day PL squad and there aren't many that are going to be happy carrying the drinks especially if they have been doing a decent job prior to the return of an international.     

Robinson has the gloves at Durham and is their number 5. Cox is Essex's number 4. They are 25 and 23 respectively whereas five of our current top six are either side of 30 or in the case of Joe Denly, 38. One hope is that the likes of Jaydn and Ekansh (and more) will come through but, if they do prove themselves to be the future (and I do not mean throwing them in when they aren't ready), we have to look after them. Because we simply cannot afford not to. 
    

There is a three day game between a combined Essex/Kent 2nd XI and the South Asian Cricket Academy (SACA) at Billericay CC - the six Kent players are O'Riordan, Stewart, Jaydn, Qadri, Ekansh and Carney (albeit that he is a trialist for us). The six Essex players are Browne, Das, Allison (Charlie), Allison (Ben), Beard and Benkenstein.  

SACA won the toss and will bowl

PemburyAddick said:

Addick Addict said:

I had to check that this wasn't an old social media message but we've signed Xavier Bartlett for the first 8 Blast matches! So we will have three overseas for that period of which any two can play in any one game. 

Cheers AA is this the bloke we thought had signed for the first CC matches, but the Aussie CB said he couldn't play in those?

That is the correct. We signed him but then he was given a central contract from Australia and as with us there will always be an over-riding clause inserted in any agreement with a county. 

Essex/Kent declared on 244-7. Ben Allison 62 and Jaydn 38 the not out players. Three "Kent" members of the team, namely Ekansh, Carney and Qadri didn't get to bat.