KENT V SURREY at Canterbury (LVCC)
11-14 JUNE 2023

Top versus ninth in Division One. A three-and-a-half week break in the County Championship ends with a repeat of the last round match-up, albeit Kent now host.

Since beating Northants in the opening week, the hop county have had a couple of months they would probably care to forget.

In red-ball, only Ben Compton (436 runs in 10 championship innings), Zak Crawley (now on England duty) and Joey Evison have enjoyed any real form with the bat; while, with the ball, the Spitfires' inability to field a settled attack has been a significant handicap.

The T20 Blast has provided a route back to form for Daniel Bell-Drummond and Tawanda Muyeye (a couple of half-centuries apiece), but a record of two wins from seven in the 20-over stuff tells an all too familiar story.

If one thing epitomises where Kent now find themselves, it's their decision to drop skipper Sam Billings, who is averaging 9.19 with the bat in this summer's championship and just 12.00 in the Blast. To quote their website: "After mutual discussions around form, Sam Billings will not play in this match."

On the flipside, India left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh is set to join the bustling Wes Agar (12 championship wickets at 28.41 apiece) to make up the hop county's overseas contingent, while Matt Quinn is fit again following a groin injury.

Surrey v Kent - First-Class Records Sheet

Tom Latham looks set to make his Surrey debut. Rory Burns (11,990) will start this contest within touching distance of 12,000 first-class runs, while Will Jacks (1,965) is on the cusp of 2,000. Ben Foakes (395 as keeper and fielder) needs five more dismissals for 400 in f-c cricket and Dan Worrall is three victims shy of 300 first-class career wickets. In the home dressing room, Arshdeep Singh will be playing for the first time for Kent, while Ben Compton (2.920) is eyeing up a 3,000th f-c run.

New Zealand batter-wicketkeeper Tom Latham (who replaces Windies' seamer Kemar Roach for Surrey's five County Championship matches in June and July) comes into the squad. Also included are Dan Moriarty, Ryan Patel and Cameron Steel, all of whom failed to make the cut for the corresponding fixture at the Oval last month.

With the weather set fair for this summer's Canterbury Festival, much will depend on the pitch that's about to be served up by the Kent groundsman. The Spitfires need to start winning if they are to stave off relegation, but whether that begins against the championship leaders is debatable. Still, Surrey haven't won a four-day contest at the St Lawrence Ground since 2007. Prediction: The Oval outfit are on a high in all forms at the moment while the contrast with Kent's fortunes couldn't be much starker. The best the hosts can hope for is a flat-track stalemate.

B.Compton, J.Denly, D.Bell-Drummond, T.Muyeye, J.Leaning (capt), J.Cox (wk), J.Evison, Hamidullah Qadri, W.Agar, Arshdeep Singh and M.Quinn.

James Middlebrook and Russell Warren.

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