Walker: Great to have Donald on board

Allan Donald has finally joined Kent as assistant coach and head coach Matt Walker couldn’t be more delighted.

The former South Africa firebrand – who took 330 wickets in his 72 Test appearances – finally jetted into Kent, only to fly out again the following day on the club’s FGS Plant pre-season tour.

Explaining events and his delight at having Donald aboard at last, Walker said: “He flew in on the Friday and flew out with the lads on our pre-season tour to Antigua on the Saturday, so he’d hardly had any time to meet the squad at all – he was literally thrown in at the deep end.

“But it was a great chance for him to get to know the guys, build relationships and find out a little of what makes them all tick.”

Though he missed the tour Walker, who spent part of January and February in Australia helping England’s assistant coach Paul Farbrace and the national Twenty20 side competing in the Trans-Tasman tri-series, was buoyed by Kent’s showing in the West Indies Super 50 in Antigua.

Competing in the event for the second successive season, Spitfires reached the semi-finals only to go out to eventual winners Barbados in a close fought game.

After debriefing the squad on their return, Walker said: “He’s a coach who’s travelled the world with international sides and IPL franchises, and with a character like his – he’s a good man with so much to offer – it was no surprise to me that he made such an immediate impact and that the team went on to reach the last four.”

“AD quickly brought his own brand of competitiveness into the group and I’m told that was evident throughout. The group took on his South African attitude of hunting in the field and maintained high energy levels.

“No surprises either that a couple of our fast bowlers, Ivan Thomas and Calum Haggett, benefited from having AD around and both showed well throughout the competition.

“Clearly, the lads managed to adapt to conditions in Antigua much better this year and were much more competitive as a result.

“The most pleasing thing was that by all reports the atmosphere and the culture in our dressing room throughout the competition was absolutely top class, which was something we’d talked about a lot before the side went away; about trying to set ourselves up as an extremely professional outfit with high standards and values across the board.

“I want the guys to buy into something special that’s building here and the feedback from coaches, senior players and our captain out there was outstanding.

“All the pieces were consistently in place and that impacted on our performances on the field. Across the board everyone impacted at some stage in that competition and we were the best fielding side in the event by a country mile.

“It should all help to give the guys a great boost in confidence as we build up toward the domestic season in England.”