Kent had a tough season by their standards last time around and the immediate aim for them will be to deliver a better showing on all fronts this season. They underachieved massively in white ball cricket last season and will be looking to get back in the top flight in the Championship. This is a big season at Canterbury.
Last Season
County Championship: Tenth in Division 1
One Day Cup: Group Stage
Vitality Blast: Group Stage
Club
Captain: Daniel Bell-Drummond
Overseas Player(s): Wes Agar, Keith Dudgeon, Kashif Ali, Tom Rogers (T20)
Ins: Chris Benjamin
Outs: Arafat Bhuiyan, Hamidullah Qadri
One to watch: Adam Hollioake – the new Kent coach has a long standing history in English cricket and takes on his first full-time head coaching role armed with the task of transforming the Kent fortunes
Championship Odds: 5/1 Coral
Strengths
When everyone is available Kent do look a strong side with the bat in hand. Importantly in Championship cricket they bat very deep which is a must for a team who is looking to win promotion like they will be. They have two top quality opening batters and if they get to see more of Zak Crawley than expected it will be no bad thing while Ben Compton should really fill his boots in Division Two. In white ball cricket Sam Billings is going well so there is a lot to like about Kent with the bat.
Special Offer
Open a new Sporting Index account and bet £10 on county cricket (min odds 1/2) to get £20 in free bets (2x£10 free bets) to use on any sports market! Click the image below to take advantage of this great offer! 18+ T&Cs apply. Gamble Responsibly.
Weaknesses
Kent aren’t what you would call weak with the ball but they are going to need their overseas signings to play to the potential that they hope that they have. If that is to happen then they should be very competitive, especially if we have a hot summer which brings the quality of Matt Parkinson into play. Kent have plenty of white ball depth with the ball but the lack of a second spinner in white ball cricket might be an issue if they go deep into any of the competitions.
Trophy Prospects
You would imagine that the primary aim of Kent this season will be to win promotion back to Division One of the County Championship at the first time of asking. They look equipped to do that but I always think that they have the potential to be competitive in the Vitality Blast with the avalanche of riches that they have at the top of their batting order. A top drawer spinner has sometimes held them back but there is no excuse with Matt Parkinson on board.
England Duty
There is always talk about whether Zak Crawley should or shouldn’t be the opening batter for England but the shirt remains his for now. Kent would have no issues if he falls out of favour because that would give them much more of him. Sam Billings could be a candidate for a bigger role in the 50 over side now that it is going through a transition but it looks like Matt Parkinson has fallen completely out of favour now.
Predicted Championship Finishing Position: 2nd
Be the first to comment on "County Cricket 2025 – Kent Team Guide"