Match Preview: Glamorgan vs. Kent Spitfires
Kent Spitfires cross the border into Wales as they face Glamorgan in a Friday night Vitality Blast spectacle at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.
Michael Hogan is currently Kent’s top T20 bowler in the Blast this year – his seven wickets have come at an average of 13.00, including a spell of 3-13 against Gloucestershire on debut. Grant Stewart has five wickets with an economy rate of 6.54, whilst Australians Wes Agar & Kane Richardson both have three wickets apiece.
With the bat, Daniel Bell-Drummond is currently averaging over 30.00 & is Kent’s current top run scorer with 92. Tawanda Muyeye has 70 runs, whilst Jordan Cox is the Spitfires’ current biggest hitter with three sixes in three matches.
Kent Spitfires welcome Surrey to ‘Fortress Canterbury’ for a Sunday afternoon T20 match at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence this weekend!
Buy your tickets now to save money on On The Day prices:
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Last Time Out
Somerset beat the Kent Spitfires by 13 runs on a Baltic night in the Vitality Blast at Canterbury, via the Duckworth-Lewis Method.
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The contest was marred by three rain interruptions, but Somerset eventually restricted Kent to 112 in pursuit of a revised target of 126 from 15 overs, Ben Green taking three for 19 and Lewis Gregory stifling the hosts when they needed 18 off the last over.
Somerset were all out for 154 from 20 overs, Tom Lammonby their highest scorer with 34. Kent’s 11th hour signing Wes Agar took 3 for 18, while Michael Hogan claimed three for 33 but unexpected rain ruined the game as a spectacle and the hosts were always behind on DLS, despite 29 from skipper Sam Billings.
Match Coverage
Glamorgan vs. Kent Spitfires will be live streamed by Glamorgan Cricket, with the YouTube stream accessible via the Match Centre on the Kent Cricket website, which also features a live updating video scorecard.
Live match updates will also appear on the Club’s social media channels.
Opposition Report
- Captain: David Lloyd
- Overseas players: Michael Neser (Australia, available pending Ashes call-up), Colin Ingram (South Africa)
- Finals Day appearances: 2 (2004, 2017)
- Titles: 0
- 2022 finish: Sixth (South Group)
- 2022 leading runscorer: Sam Northeast (510 runs)
- 2022 leading wicket taker: Michael Hogan (20 wickets)
Glamorgan have secured the services of Colin Ingram for the next two years and he will be available throughout the campaign, but will be without Michael Hogan, their leading wicket taker in 2022, who has left for Kent.
- The big question: The availability of Michael Neser remains unclear as Glamorgan head into the Blast with the Australian very much in the mix for a call up into the Ashes squad in the event of injury. With Michael Hogan gone Neser’s wickets become even more important for the Welsh side.
- Wildcard watch: Dan Douthwaite – This is a big year for Douthwaite who is more than capable of a match-winning performance with the bat and the ball. As a big hitting all-rounder he is the kind of player The Hundred teams could be looking for if he has a good year in the Blast.
Final thought: With just two Finals Day appearances and no titles, the Blast is a big gap in the club’s record that they will be looking to fill in 2023. In order to claim that first Blast title much will depend on the performance of the white-ball players who have not been part of the County Championship games so far when they come into the team.
Squad News
Men’s Head Coach Matt Walker has named a squad of 13 that includes one change from Kent’s original match squad against Somerset last time out.
Australia international Wes Agar is now a Kent player until the end of July & replaces Kane Richardson (illness).
Zak Crawley is in England’s Test team to face Ireland at Lord’s, whilst Fred Klaassen is unavailable for the start of the Vitality Blast due to personal reasons.
Matt Quinn (toe) & Nathan Gilchrist (soft tissue) are also still out of contention.
Kent’s full Matchday Squad, presented by Shepherd Neame >>>
Kent Spitfires matchday squad vs. Surrey: Sam Billings (Captain), Wes Agar (Overseas player), Arafat Bhuiyan, Daniel Bell-Drummond, Alex Blake, Jordan Cox, Joe Denly, Joey Evison, Michael Hogan, Jack Leaning, George Linde (Overseas player), Tawanda Muyeye, Grant Stewart.
The Oldest Rivalry comes to Canterbury on Sunday!
Kent Spitfires welcome Surrey to ‘Fortress Canterbury’ for a Sunday afternoon T20 match at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence on 4 June!
Buy your tickets now to save money on On The Day prices:
Buy tickets now
Members do not need to pre-book their space at T20 matches as per last season – entry will be gained by scanning a valid 2023 Kent Cricket Membership card at the gate.
The Frank Woolley Stand is already completely SOLD OUT for this fixture. An allocation has been set aside for Members & Six Pack Plus Ticket Holders.
Those unable to join us at The Spitfire Ground can purchase the Live Stream for this match via KentCricketPlay for £5.99 (FREE for all 2023 Kent Members) now:
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Match Previews of Kent’s Vitality Blast fixtures are proudly sponsored by Shepherd Neame >>>
