Match Preview: Sussex vs. Kent
Kent travel to ‘Sussex-by-the-Sea’ on Thursday to contest a South Coast Derby in the LV= Insurance County Championship at The 1st Central County Ground, Hove.
The visitors will be buoyed by the spirit shown despite a rain-affected draw at Emerald Headingley against unbeaten Yorkshire last week, with Nathan Gilchrist taking 4/74 on Championship debut and Zak Crawley hitting 90 on Day One.
Crawley, Ollie Robinson, Darren Stevens and Daniel Bell-Drummond have all now passed 200 runs in this year’s Championship, with Robinson currently topping Kent’s batting averages on 38.28.
Stevens now has 15 Championship wickets to his name at 20.33, with Jack Leaning and Miguel Cummins on five wickets so far this season.
Opposition Report
After an innings defeat to Northamptonshire last week, Sussex now sit one place above Kent in Group 3 of this year’s Championship, with one win and three draws to their name from five matches.
Youth product Tom Haines has been the Hove-based side’s standout batter so far this season, scoring 492 runs, with three scores of 50+ and one century to date in 2021.
Former Kent Cricket Academy Scholar Ollie Robinson leads the way for Sussex’s bowlers – 25 wickets so far in the Championship. Margate-born Robinson has also been touted for a possible Test debut with England during this Summer’s packed schedule of international cricket.
Jofra Archer could play his first first-class match for Sussex since September 2018 after being named in a 13-man squad for the LV= Insurance County Championship against Kent that gets underway at The 1st Central County Ground on Thursday.
Archer is joined in the squad by George Garton, who returns after being rested for the match against Northamptonshire last week.
Sussex squad in full: Ben Brown (Captain), Jofra Archer, Jack Carson, Tom Clark, Henry Crocombe, George Garton, Tom Haines, Travis Head, Stuart Meaker, Delray Rawlins, Ollie Robinson, Aaron Thomason, Stiaan van Zyl
Last time out
Nathan Gilchrist claimed a superb four for 74 in his second first-class game as Kent’s LV= Insurance County Championship clash with Yorkshire ended in a draw at Emerald Headingley.
During an entertaining shortened final day, Gary Ballance fell four runs short of a 41st career century after a direct hit by Marcus O’Riordan saw the former England batter run-out for 96.
Zak Crawley showed flashes of elegance during a battling 90 as Kent enjoyed an encouraging opening day.
Live Streaming
Sussex vs. Kent will be live streamed by Sussex’s YouTube channel, embedded into the Match Centre on the Kent Cricket website.
Team News
Matt Milnes (ankle), Heino Kuhn (calf), Harry Podmore (side strain), Tim Groenewald (knee), and Imran Qayyum (shoulder) remain unavailable for this match.
Joe Denly is currently taking some time away from the game for personal reasons and is therefore unavailable for our next match. He is replaced in our 13-strong squad by Hamid Qadri.
Grant Stewart will travel to Hove with the First XI squad to continue his rehabilitation from an abdomen injury but is not available for selection at this time.
Vice-Captain Daniel Bell-Drummond continues to skipper the side as Club Captain Sam Billings remains in quarantine after returning from India late last week.
Kent’s full Matchday Squad, presented by Black Opal Travel Group >>>
Match Previews of Kent’s LV= Insurance County Championship fixtures are proudly sponsored by FGS Plant Ltd. >>>
