No place like home!

Kent have opted against a pre-season tour ahead of their 2023 campaign.

A trip overseas is theoretically a possibility once again after the easing of Covid restrictions. But with the bulk of Kent’s squad having played abroad this winter, they have decided to build up to the new season in England from March instead and utilise what remains in their budget elsewhere.

“We won’t be going away,” head coach Matt Walker said. “The budget is tight and we probably want to spend that money in another area or two, whether that’s another player or another overseas.

“I think at the moment the value in that is more important than an overseas trip, bearing in mind most of the lads are, or have been, away.

“That was part of the thinking. A lot of the guys are playing overseas this winter up until the first week in March. They should come back ready to go, having played a lot of cricket on grass.”

Walker can see the benefits of doing a pre-season trip, though, and didn’t rule out doing one in the future.

He added: “Do we need to go away for another 10 days overseas? It’s always a great thing to do, don’t get me wrong. I’m a big fan of getting away for pre-season trips. “Sometimes, it’s the best way because you are together all the time and you’re guaranteed the weather. But, hopefully come March 13, we get some good weather at Canterbury and we’re straight out.

“The following week, we’ll be into some pre-season games and actually getting cricket in earlier than we did last year. “It’s becoming extremely expensive to get away.

“I know other counties still do it, and another year we might go away. But this year, with everyone away and how tight the budget is at the moment, that money could probably go somewhere else.

“We’ll make it work. We’ll have a good pre-season at Canterbury and the benefit of staying is you’re practising on your home ground and practising on surfaces that you’re likely to get to get at that time of year. “Hopefully, it’s just not too cold or too wet!”

Kent start their season at home to Northamptonshire at Canterbury from Thursday, April 6, in County Championship Division 1.