Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Rabada will add sting to attack
Kent cricket
Matt Coles is excited about the prospect of forming a dual-attack with Kagiso Rabada this summer.
Kent’s reigning player-of-the-year returned to bowling action as preseason preparations began in earnest at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, on Monday.
Coles took 67 wickets in 14 LV= County Championship matches at an average of 23.49 and a strike rate of 38.7 last year with a further 17 wickets in the Natwest T20 Blast and 16 scalps and a memorable century in the Royal London One-day Cup.
He, however, suffered a freak foot injury cycling in September which hampered his chances of playing overseas this winter.
He said: “I did some bowling and had a hit. The foot is feeling good. I have been running in full-tilt – it’s my back-foot so it’s actually worse as your next step is not dead straight but it held up OK.
“It’s been frustrating. I’ve not managed to do as much as I wanted. I started running about six weeks ago. Of course you have to start with little bits and build-up, although I’m more of a ‘go for it and see what happens’ type.
“It was a frustrating period so it’s good to be back out there.”
Coles said hopes are high of an assault on three trophies this summer, boosted by the arrivals of overseas duo Tom Latham from New Zealand and South African Rabada.
He said: “We are right up there among the stronger teams in the division. We want promotion and we want to win the white-ball competitions, having come so close last year.
“It is a team collective effort and we have a lot more experience this year. Latham is a brilliant signing, what we struggled with last year was not scoring masses of runs.
“Rabada’s signing is exciting. We can learn from each other. It’s not every day you get to bowl at the other end from a bowler like that.
“Hopefully, it will create extra opportunities for me to take wickets.
“He will add a bit of sting to the attack in his six-week stint for sure. If we can
‘I’m looking forward
to having him
get some fast and bouncy wickets we can use him to the best of his ability. A 90mph bowler on a slow pitch isn’t going to be effective.
“Hopefully, we’ll have some wins by the time he arrives and there will be less of a workload for the rest of us. I’m looking forward to having him. Maybe he can bowl up the hill and learn all sorts from me!”
Rabada is in line to make his debut in the home Natwest T20 Blast against Sussex Sharks on June 30 and play five further T20s, two Championship games and a One-day Cup game before leaving, along with Latham, ahead of a Test series between New Zealand and South Africa in August.
Latham is due at Kent in April. Essex will visit The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence for a threeday match from Wednesday (March 23). Kent then travel to Hampshire for a twoday game on March 29 and 30 before a final two-day friendly against Durham at Canterbury on Thursday, March 31Friday, April 1. The home threeday University match against Loughborough MCCU starts on Tuesday, April 5. Entry to all pre-season matches is free of charge.