Match Preview: Surrey v Kent Spitfires FLt20, Friday 26 July

Surrey v Kent Spitfires

Friends Life t20 – South Division

Friday, 26 July – 6.30pm start

Kia Oval, London

The Kent Spitfires make the short trip to South London tonight in an attempt to sabotage Surrey’s bid to make the Friends Life t20 quarter-finals.

The team:

Kent skipper James Tredwell is still missing with an ankle injury, so Geraint Jones continues to lead the team. Daniel Bell-Drummond is set to replace Brendan Nash in the top three and Calum Haggett and Adam Ball are added to the squad.

Kent: Jones (c/wk), Bell-Drummond, Billings, Stevens, Blake, Harmison, Cowdrey, Riley, Claydon, Coles, Philander, Haggett, Ball.

Late update to the squad, 6.40pm 26/07: Vernon Philander will no longer play in this match due to a knee injury

Players to watch:

Young all-rounder Fabian Cowdrey has made a promising start to his Spitfires career since being given the opportunity to open the innings in the Club's last two matches. After making his Twenty20 debut batting in the middle-order against New Zealand, Cowdrey was promoted on hisFriends Lifet20 debut last week against Hampshire – and he made 21. However, on Wednesday against Sussex Sharks the right-hander really shone – blasting 40 off just 21-balls – to get Kent off to a flying start as yet another Cowdrey looks to make a name for himself at Canterbury.

England bowler Jade Dernbach has been in fine form for Surrey this season, taking 12 wickets at an average of just 11. He has been some-what erratic at international level but his own brand of slower balls makes him a real threat at this level.

Pre-match chat:

Fabian Cowdrey, Kent’s latest young star, is delighted to be given the chance to express himself in the first-team as the Spitfires have come into a bit of form:

“I'm delighted to get an opportunity, to be honest. It's great that we've turned it around. We are out of the competition but it’s good for team morale, moving forward, that we've managed to record back-to-back wins. After scoring runs, my opportunity has come on merit – which is even more satisfying.”

When asked about how the all-rounder was coping with the step up to first-class cricket from second-team matches, Cowdrey highlighted the atmosphere as the major change and identified how he has improved as a player:

“I guess it very much depends on the outfit you are playing against. You get first-team players playing second-team cricket and the standard can vary from team to team. There is definitely a step-up though as the crowds and the atmosphere they produce is a real noticeable difference.

“Mentally I've improved. I worked extremely hard during the off-season and it’s all coming together for me. Anything can happen in Twenty20 but the shots I've played have all come off, which is good for me. I put it down to hard work.”

The season so far:

After a terrible first half to their FLt20 qualifying campaign, the Spitfires have regained some pride – winning their previous two games. The latest success being a nine-run win over the Sussex Sharks in front of a packed Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence crowd. An unbeaten 67 from Darren Stevens saw Kent up to 173 for three before a solid all-round bowling display strangled the Sharks to ensure the hosts moved off the foot of the table.

Surrey currently lie third in the south division just one point off the top, but with just two games to go a win on Friday is imperative. They boosted their qualifying chances by brushing aside Middlesex Panthers by 86 runs at Lord’s on Thursday night in front of a bumper crowd of 28,000 spectators.

Previous meetings:

In this very same fixture last season the Spitfires saw off Surrey by 48 runs in a low-scoring match on a balmy July evening. The visitors batted first on a slow Oval wicket and never really got going. Rob Key made 35 but two wickets apiece for Dirk Nannes, Chris Tremlett and Zafar Ansari halted the Kent progress and it was left to Alex Blake to score an innovative 35 from 26 balls to see the Spitfires up to 136-8.

Surrey were dealt a huge blow in the first over of their reply when Mark Davies trapped dangerman Kevin Pietersen in front and they never really recovered. Three wickets for Azhar Mahmood – now back with Surrey – and a couple each for Davies and Adam Riley scythed through the hosts as they slumped to 88 all-out – a disappointing total in front of a packed house.