Kent Spitfires v Essex
Metro Bank One Day Cup
The Spitfire Ground St Lawrence, Canterbury
Sunday 20 August 2023 | 11:00am start
Essex’s 2023 One-Day Cup group stage campaign begins to draw to a close on Sunday, as a Battle of the Bridge clash with Kent tees up a three-day period that will contain both of the Eagles’ final two matches.
Despite securing a tense victory over Middlesex at home last week, it has been a tough competition for Essex, who were defeated ion Tuesday against Leicestershire and have struggled with player availability and injuries.
However, the emergence of numerous young players, not least the likes of 18-year-olds Charlie Allison and Noah Thain, the former of whom is the Eagles’ top run-scorer in this season’s tournament, has been a major positive.
With a clash against Kent always worth more than just the points that are on offer, Anthony McGrath’s young charges will aim to finish the 50-over competition strongly.
Squad:
The Eagles have made two additions to the squad that travelled to Leicestershire on Tuesday, as Feroze Khushi makes his return from a hand injury, and Nick Browne is recalled to form a 14-strong group.
Simon Harmer drops out as his workload is managed ahead of the LV= County Championship run-in next month, while Jamie Porter continues his recovery from a groin tweak.
The Opposition:
Kent Spitfires squad: TBC
Sunday’s hosts are the defending champions in this competition, having lifted the trophy with a win over Lancashire in the final at Trent Bridge last September.
The Spitfires’ group-stage campaign has perhaps not been as convincing as they would have liked, but they do retain a chance of qualifying for the knockout stages, in fifth and one point off the top three with two games left.
They have won three and lost three of their six matches so far, with their most recent outing seeing them lose in dramatic fashion to Notts Outlaws by one wicket with one ball remaining.
Elsewhere, Kent have struggled in Division One of the LV= County Championship, currently sitting in the drop zone, while it was the Eagles who beat them to the last quarter-final spot in the Vitality Blast.
Key Battle – Noah Thain v Hamid Qadri
Last Time We Met:
This will be the eighth One Day Cup tournament in a row where there has been a Battle of the Bridge contest, with the last one, 12 months ago in Chelmsford, seeing Essex take a crushing victory.
Having won the toss, the Eagles opted to bat first and piled up an imposing total of 331, with Tom Westley’s 101-ball 109 and 77 from Grant Roelofsen being the lynchpins as the duo shared a third-wicket stand of 184.
There were also some valuable late swipes from Shane Snater, who added 41 in just 22 balls, with Essex’s score coming in spite of Joey Evison’s three wickets.
The Spitfires largely failed to take off in their response, succumbing to Snater’s 5/29 from 6.2 overs as despite initially making it to 101-2, they lost their last eight wickets for 48 runs to be dismissed far short of their target.
Metro Bank One Day Cup Remaining Fixtures:
Tickets:
These are available to buy from the Kent website, with general admission tickets priced at £20 for adults and £1 for those aged 5-15s, while under-5s go free.
Spectators can also upgrade to the Frank Woolley Stand behind the bowler’s arm for an additional £5 on the general admission price for adults.
Kent are also offering a second innings only ticket, valid from the interval, for £10 in general admission areas and £22.50 in the Frank Woolley Stand, while group bookings will also receive a discount on the individual price.
All tickets can be purchased at the link below:
How To Watch:
If you are unable to make the journey over the Dartford Crossing in person, the match will be streamed live by hosts Kent and available to watch via the Essex Cricket Matchzone.
Live updates will also be provided on the Club’s own social media channels, while highlights will be available after the match via the Essex Cricket website and social channels too.
