Deposed south group leaders Kent will have their bouncebackability tested to the full tomorrow night (6.30pm start) when they welcome Essex to the Spitfire Ground in the NatWest T20 Blast.

Having suffered back-to-back home defeats to new leaders Gloucestershire and then second-placed Hampshire last Friday, Sam Northeast’s Spitfires will look to return to winnings ways against an Eagles side who sit above them in fourth spot courtesy of their better run-rate.

With the top five locked together on eight points apiece the group could not be tighter, as Kent’s T20 batting specialist Alex Blake will testify. 

Looking ahead to a crucial 48 hours in terms of Kent’s quarter-final qualification bid, Blake feels wins over Essex and then Surrey at The Oval on Friday evening would go a long way to booking a place in the last eight.

Blake said: “Essex are a good side on paper, as are Surrey, who we face the following night.

“Essex already batted a long way down, but now they’ve got Ryan ten Doeschate and Ravi Bopara back from the IPL they look even more dangerous.

“The likes of James Foster, Graham Napier and Jessie Ryder are all capable of winnings games on their own too, so we’ll need to hit our straps if we’re to get a result against them.”

He added: “As for Surrey, at least we know we won’t have to bowl at KP, but we’ll not be taking them lightly either.

“There are no weak teams in this south group because even the likes of Gloucestershire are going well this season.

“Everyone has the ability to beat the other team on the night, so it’s just a matter of executing our skills well as we did at the start of the campaign.

“We know what we’re capable of because we’ve already turned over a couple of good sides this season, so all we need are a couple more good days out.

“We’ve not really spoken about what we need to go through in terms of points.

“But with seven games remaining, you’d think that another three wins ought to be enough.”

Kent will give a late fitness test to seamer Calum Haggett, who missed the defeat to Hampshire with a hip niggle.

However,  they are  still without ‘death bowling’ speedster David Griffiths, who is suffering back problems.

Spitfires from: Bell-Drummond, Denly, Northeast, Stevens, Blake, Cowdrey, Coles, Ball, Davies, Claydon, Tredwell, Hunn, Haggett, Hartley, Riley.

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