South group leaders Kent Spitfires will be looking to place one foot into the NatWest T20 Blast quarter-finals by completing a 2015 double over Somerset in Canterbury tomorrow night.
With seven wins from ten starts to date, including a dramatic three-run win in the corresponding fixture in Taunton on May 31, Spitfires hold a one-point lead with a game in hand over the chasing pack.
The hosts go into the clash at St Lawrence clash knowing they have been their opponents in their last three meetings batting first each time.
However, captain Sam Northeast has enjoyed a run of the luck since taking the helm from Rob Key by winning his last seven successive tosses.
Northeast’s top-order batting team-mate Daniel Bell-Drummond, who went to school near Taunton at the cricketing production line that is Millfield School, is looking forward to the clash.
“I feel I’ve improved quite a bit in T20,” said the former England U19 batsman.
“I’m getting the mode of it better having spoken to Keysy about the tactics.
“A little like me, Keysy wasn’t one for smashing it out of the park, but he found a way in this format to score runs consistently by using the pace of the bowler to deflect and shape the ball into his scoring areas.
“For me he was the ideal player to chat with and he’s helped develop my game plans.”
Bell-Drummond became the first English batsman to plunder a century off the touring Australians last month when cantering to a 92-ball ton in last month’s four-day friendly in Canterbury.
He added: “Hopefully I can continue my run of form, but anything can happen in T20.
“The team has been going well in the format with Northeast as the stand out batter in the country, so we’ve been posting big scores and proved a force to be reckoned with.”
Kent have a doubt over young strike bowler Ivan Thomas, who picked up a side-strain niggle in this week’s LV= Championship win at Grace Road, while David Griffiths will miss the remainder of the season having undergone back surgery.
Spitfires from: Denly, Bell-Drummond, Northeast, Cowdrey, Stevens, Blake, Billings, Ball, Tredwell, Coles, Haggett, Claydon, Hunn, Hartley.
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