Momentum and continuity will be the bywords for south group leaders Kent when they welcome Glamorgan to Tunbridge Wells for this evening’s NatWest T20 Blast clash.
With a quarter-final berth already secured, the Spitfires will be keen to extend their five-match unbeaten run against the Welsh visitors, who arrive at The Nevill ground still harbouring outside hopes of reaching the knockout stages themselves.
Kent’s top order batter Sam Northeast will need another big score if he is to overcome Gloucestershire’s Michael Klinger as the tournament’s top-scorer.
But the Spitfires’ skipper will also be looking to add to his haul of 64 fours, the most by any batsman in the 2015 Bash.
Spitfires’ firepower last time out in the their three-wicket win over Gloucestershire, came from Alex Blake who plundered an unbeaten 59 from 24 balls.
And the muscular Beckenham left-hander will be hoping to dish out similar punishment to the Glamorgan attack.
Blake said: “Tunbridge Wells is a little like Cheltenham.
“It’s another compact out-ground, with short straight boundaries and, once the ball pierces through the infield you’re usually rewarded with a boundary, so I’m hoping we can provide some more fireworks for the Kent fans.
“I was so pleased to see us over the win line against Gloucestershire last weekend because it could have gone either way when I went into bat.
“Sam departed soon after I went in, so it was up to me to get the job done.
“I’m delighted I managed to pull it off.”
Blake added: “On these smaller club grounds you never really know what a defendable target is.
“Anything can seem possible sometimes, but in this format we’ve got good skills and a lot of confidence behind us off the back of our nine wins.
“While we’ll respect Glamorgan, we can continue to play without fear.”
Kent have added a new name to their match-day squad after signing 23-year-old East Anglian Premier League batsman, Sean Dickinson, on a season’s contract after a string of impressive second XI knocks.
South African-born with a mother from Beckenham, the right-hander holds a UK passport and is therefore not considered an overseas player.
Kent will go into this evening’s game, which starts at 5.30pm, knowing they have never lost to Glamorgan in this format.
The teams have met on five previous occasions, Kent have won four, while Glamorgan have managed only one a tie.
Kent from: Bell-Drummond, Denly, Northeast, Billings, Stevens, Cowdrey, Blake, Coles, Haggett, Claydon, Tredwell, Hunn, Dickinson, Ball.
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