Match Preview: Netherlands v Kent Spitfires YB40, Friday 10th May

Netherlands v Kent Spitfires

Yorkshire Bank 40 – Group A

10 May, 2013 – 13.45pm start (local time)

Deventer, Netherlands

So far the Kent Spitfires have recorded one win and one defeat in this season’s Yorkshire Bank 40. After starting the season with a tense victory at Warwickshire, the Spitfires lost to Nottinghamshire in their last outing. Their latest fixture is against a Netherlands side that has yet to play a YB40 match this summer. It will be a first appearance for Kent in Deventer.

The season so far:

The Netherlands start their Yorkshire Bank 40 campaign against Kent while James Tredwell’s side have recorded a win and a defeat from their two matches, to date, in the 40-over competition.

In the first match of the season, Brendan Nash's best one-day performance for the Club helped Kent to the narrowest of victories over Warwickshire at Edgbaston. The West Indies international hit an unbeaten 98 to push Kent’s total up to 239 for nine, batting first. In reply, Warwickshire struggled to 185 for eight – with an unlikely 55 needed from just six overs. The Bears looked out of it until Jeetan Patel (50) hit two sixes and six fours in a quick-fire 27-ball innings that threatened to turn things around. It eventually came down to the last ball and two runs were needed, but Patel's heroics came to nothing when he was brilliantly run out by all-rounder Adam Ball to hand Kent a slender one-run success.

In the Club’s last outing, Steven Mullaney returned career-best figures of four for 29 as Nottinghamshire collected their second YB40 victory of the season, and condemned Kent to a seven-wicket defeat in a rain-interrupted match at Trent Bridge on Wednesday night. An unbeaten knock of 50 from James Taylor helped the home side to their revised target of 140 in 19 overs, with more than two overs to spare. Earlier Kent scored 220 for six after being put in. Rob Key top-scored with 62 while Brendan Nash hit 42.

Previous meetings:

The two teams were last paired together in the 2011 CB40 qualifying stages and it was the Netherlands who came out on top in Rotterdam, with a 40-run victory under the Duckworth/Lewis method. Batting first, the home side scored 206 for eight with captain Peter Borren hitting an unbeaten 71. His knock came off just 33 deliveries and included four boundaries and six sixes. Earlier in the innings, opener Eric Szwarczynski hit 43 and Tom Cooper 38 as the home side scored at more than five-and-a-half runs per over. Part-time spin bowler Joe Denly was the most effective of the Kent attack, with figures of three for 42 from his seven overs. There were two wickets apiece for Darren Stevens and Ashley Shaw.

Set a revised victory target of 206 from 37 overs, Kent got off to a decent start with Denly scoring 46 and Martin van Jaarsveld weighing in with 61. Skippering the side in the absence of Rob Key, the top-order bat hit five fours and two sixes in his 52-ball innings. Sadly the innings fell away from there as 143 for three quickly became 165 all-out. Opening bowler Shane Mott took three wickets while Sam Billings and Chris Piesley made their List A debuts for Kent in the fixture.

In the return fixture at Canterbury, Kent gained their revenge with a four-wicket victory at the end of Canterbury Cricket Week. Batting first, the Netherlands struggled to 75 for six before they were rescued by Mudassar Bukhari and Tom de Grooth. The duo put on an unbroken partnership of 124 as the visitors recovered to a respectable 199 for six. Bukhari was the dominant partner, with nine boundaries in his 62-ball stay, while De Grooth was more circumspect – with his knock of 37 coming from 49 deliveries. Adam Ball took two wickets for Kent.

In reply, Kent got off to a slow start before Darren Stevens and Sam Northeast went to work. They shared a partnership of 132 for the fifth-wicket, which effectively won Kent the match. Stevens hit 70, from 67 balls, which included eight fours and a six. Northeast's knock of 58 came from 77 deliveries and included four boundaries. Once again it was Mott, the Australian, who proved to be the most successful bowler – picking up three victims.

The only other meeting between these two sides was at Amstelveen in 1999 and Kent ran out as winners. It means they lead two-one in the three matches played to date.

Pre-match chat:

Kent captain James Tredwell remains in good spirits, despite the Club losing their last match. Commenting on the seven-wicket defeat, away at Nottinghamshire, Tredwell said: “We probably didn’t have the best of the conditions. The wicket was tough in the first innings as it gripped a bit. When the lights came on, it got a bit easier as the ball came on a bit for their batters. I would say that we were probably a bit light (in our innings). I think 250 would have been more of a challenge.

“We always knew that it would be tough to defend our score under lights. Past history suggests that scores at Trent Bridge are often better in the second innings. We knew that we had a bit of a blip in the middle of the innings and we lost wickets and crucial times and got tied down.”

Despite the defeat, there were still positives to take from the match, as the skipper explains: “Jonesy (Geraint Jones) and Harmy (Ben Harmison) got some good boundaries away at the end. It was a good partnership and they both batted well. At the top of the innings, Keysy (Rob Key) got us off to a good start and was playing well.

“Geraint has been in good form throughout the season and Harmy came in for his first game and looked good, so that’s encouraging. Again, I felt we were excellent in the field. It was tough for the bowlers but they showed some good fight and skill.”

Kent’s opponents, the Netherlands, have yet to start their Yorkshire Bank 40 season but Tredwell says they must be respected: “They’ll be a very good side, I’m sure. Many of their players have played ODI cricket and first-class cricket around the world. They are decent so we know that we need to be on our game.

“I don’t know too much about the ground we are playing at, because it’s our first visit, but we’ve got some stats from previous games played there so we will just have to go there and adapt to the conditions, whatever the playing surface.”

After losing at Trent Bridge, there could be a temptation to tinker with the side but Tredwell says that won’t happen: “The squad won’t change too much. We had a great win on Monday night and then played some decent cricket on Wednesday night. We weren’t too far away so there is no need to alter the side too much.

“Bally (Adam Ball) is back and he is big cog in our one-day side. He is a key part of our plans in limited-overs cricket so it is good to have him available again. Calum (Haggett) is unavailable. He is still struggling with a tight quad and hasn’t travelled. If we put out our a-game then I’m confident that we can bring back a result.”

On paper, Kent would appear to be in the toughest YB40 group but the captain was quick to play down the fact that they have been paired with some quality opponents: “I’m not sure we can say our group is tougher than either of the other two. There are some good one-day sides around at the moment. Most teams have some players that can impress and teams seem to be able to beat each other. As a group of players, we certainly won’t complain about the group we are in. We’ve come up against two quality first division sides. We’ve won one of the games and narrowly lost the other.”

The county have got off to a solid start this season, under the new skipper, so how is Tredwell finding the role of captaining the side? “I’m enjoying it. There have been plenty of challenges along the way and there’s always something going on in one-day cricket. Now, with the extra fielder in the ring, there is even more to think about but I’m enjoying the challenges and getting to grips with it as we move along.”

Team news to follow.