Kent Spitfires squad to play Essex Eagles in NatWest T20 Blast at Chelmsford
Thursday 23rd July 2015
Kent pacemen Matt Coles and Ivan Thomas return to the Kent Spitfires squad to take on Essex at Chelmsford on Friday (6.30pm start).
The table-toppers have resisted the temptation to rest players for the final group game at the County Ground and are set to name a full-strength side.
Coles is recalled after a week's rest and Thomas has recovered from a side strain suffered in the LV= County Championship at Leicester earlier this month.
Kent Spitfires squad: 17 Sam Northeast (c), 23 Daniel Bell-Drummond, 6 Joe Denly, 20 Sam Billings (wk), 30 Fabian Cowdrey, 3 Darren Stevens, 10 Alex Blake, 24 Adam Ball, 26 Matt Coles, 15 James Tredwell, 8 Mitch Claydon, 14 Matt Hunn, 5 Ivan Thomas.
SPITFIRES STATS
· Every Kent batsman has a strike rate above 100 in this season's NatWest T20 Blast.
· The Spitfires have won their last seven and 10 of their last 11 tosses against Essex.
· The Eagles have lost their last five tosses at home.
· Essex have won their last four T20s at Chelmsford, after losing the preceding five.
· Sam Northeast needs to score at least 27 runs more than Michael Klinger on Friday to become top scorer in the group stage.
· Alex Blake is involved in two season-best T20 partnerships: 109 with Darren Stevens for the fifth wicket v Surrey at the Kia Oval and 108* for the sixth wicket with Sam Northeast v Hampshire at Ageas Bowl.
· There are two other 100+ Kent partnerships: 122 Bell-Drummond/Northeast v Essex and 112 Bell-Drummond/Denly v Somerset, both at Canterbury.
· T20 head-to-head record: played 23, Essex won 12, Kent won 11.