Kentish Express Ashford & District
Bird departs Kent
Australian pace bowler Jackson Bird’s Kent stay has been curtailed by injury.
Experienced international
Bird was due to be available for the first six matches of Kent’s County Championship campaign before their T20 Blast defence begins later this month. But having sustained a shoulder injury in the heavy defeat at home to Hampshire last month, Bird will not play again for Matt Walker’s side this summer.
“Jackson has gone home,” revealed Kent head coach Walker. “He won’t be available any more.
“He’s torn a tendon in his shoulder, which is not a great injury. It’s going to take a huge amount of rehab and he wouldn’t be fit for his remaining time with us anyway.”
The experienced Joe Denly (hamstring) could be back in time for Kent’s four-day match against a Sri Lanka Cricket Development XI which starts from Friday while all-rounder Grant Stewart (hamstring) is due to be assessed. He scored 90 in the second innings of Kent’s draw against Yorkshire but had to bat with a runner after he injured himself when bowling. “Joe is not far away,” said Walker. “Joe more than likely will play this week against Sri Lanka all being well.
“Grant, we don’t know yet. That will be diagnosed once it settles down. But I think he did well coming off when he came off. “He was aware of it and, had he tried to bowl on it any more, that could have cost him weeks on that injury.
“Hopefully it’s a couple of weeks - maybe a little bit more, maybe a little bit less - I think we have got to see what the true picture is once it’s had time to settle down a little bit.
“Fred Klaassen had a slight groin twinge [playing] with the second team so he won’t be available this week either.”
Kent have already had to contend with their fair share of injuries this season and Walker plans to rest most of his key players for the Sri Lanka game at Canterbury, having taken a draw away from Headlingley following back-to-back home Division 1 losses.
“There have been a few injuries, as there always is at the start of the year,” said Walker.
“For some of the guys, they’ve had quite a busy first few weeks. So I think this week off comes at quite a good time, especially when those results aren’t quite going your way.
“If you are winning, you want to keep going. But this probably just gives us a chance to regroup a little bit and, hopefully, get our heads around these next two games coming up against Surrey and Northamptonshire.”
New Zealand fast bowler Matt Henry is returning to Kent but only from July 10, still some two months away.
Kent return to County Championship action against Surrey at Beckenham on Thursday, May 12.