FGS Plant Tour opponents: Leeward Islands Hurricanes
Wednesday 25th January 2017
Kent Spitfires begin their inaugural West Indies Regional Super50 season against hosts Leeward Islands Hurricanes at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua on Wednesday (25 January, 5.30pm GMT).
Hurricanes squad: Kieran Powell (captain), Rahkeem Cornwall (vice captain), Marlon Samuels, Nkrumah Bonner, Montcin Hodge, Jermaine Otto, Chesney Hughes, Jahmar Hamilton, Orlando Peters, Akiel Hosein, Kevon Cooper, Jason Campbell, Alzarri Joseph and Gavin Tonge.
Former Derbyshire left-hander Chesney Hughes (List A average 23) and ex-West Indies skipper Marlon Samuels (batting average 34.6 and has 129 wickets at 40.44, ER 4.62) will be familiar faces in the batting line-up for the four-time Super50 champions.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Jahmar Hamilton is a man in form with back-to-back centuries against Jamaica and Windward Islands in four-day cricket in December, batting at number five.
International all-rounders Kevon Cooper (right hand and medium-pacer) and Nkruma Bonner, a Jamaican right-hander averaging almost 35 with the bat and bowls legs spin, are also set to feature.
Slow left-armer Akeal Hosein, an Under-19 international, also offers options with bat and ball.
The man to watch with the ball is West Indies paceman Alzarri Joseph who made his breakthrough with 13 wickets in the victorious 2016 Under 19 World T20 campaign before making his senior Test and ODI debuts against India and Pakistan in 2016.
Veteran fast-medium bowler Gavin Tonge has played a Test and five ODIs for West Indies. He has 75 wickets in 52 List A innings at an economy rate of five per over.
Vice-captain Rakheem Cornwall bowls off-spin (9 List A wickets in 12 matches) and is a handy hitter with centuries in both one-day and first class cricket in the middle order.
The Hurricanes are coached by Antiguan Reginald Benjamin with West Indies assistant coach and former batsman Stuart Williams also assisting the squad.