Kent Cricket 2024

So, we are at the half way stage and sit bottom. The issues are obvious - our inability to bowl sides and a batting line up that has managed just 7 batting bonus points from 7 innings. That really is pathetic. 

The bowling is down to the recruitment of so many bowlers that are prone to breaking down and the ones coming in not being good enough even if they might become so one day. Agar, Gilchrist, Cohen, Quinn, Garrett, Evison and Swanepoel have all missed matches and in the case of two of those, they haven't managed a single game. Parkinson has excuses so far as decks he has to toil away on are concerned but his return has still been below what one was hoping for.

So far as the batting is concerned, DBD (638 @ 53.16), Evision (347 @ 43.37) and Joe Denly (539 @ 41.46) have done well to OK. Leaning (297 @ 37.12), Crawley (322 @ 32.20) and Compton (440 @ 31.42) have all performed below par given that each of their averages are so heavily skewed by one off innings of 179, 238 and 165 respectively. Finch (298 @ 27.09), O'Riordan (125 @ 15.75) and Muyeye (51 @ 12.75) have been very disappointing. 

We've been here before though, haven't we? For the last decade our batsmen have over performed when conditions are fine and the ball is doing little but when the ball is doing just a bit, their technique is found wanting. We've had batting coach after batting coach but once that technique is so ingrained, it can be incredibly difficult to change.

There is one other issue I'm afraid that has been our undoing. The hierarchy within the dressing room that prompted two of our most promising players to leave. Ollie Robinson didn't want to leave as most know but he got fed up being the one sacrificed when certain players returned from playing elsewhere especially when those individuals consistently underperform. Robinson felt "wanted" at Durham but the biggest thing was being told last year that he was their keeper and would be their number 5. The same thing happened to Cox who has been Essex's number 4 for the duration. That confidence and stability has resulted in those two having stellar seasons - imagine them batting at 4 and 5 with 731 runs at 73.10 (Cox) and 542 runs at 77.42 (Robinson) respectively under their belts. All of a sudden our batting line up would start to look a lot healthier. 

I really do not know what the solution is. Sadly I think most fans and even those at Kent are in the same position.