Alex wants to be Kent’s regular hero after ton

Kent v Sussex Fri, May 5, St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury, 11:00

ALEX Blake intends to become the go-to batsman for Kent this summer as he gears up to face Sussex in the One-Day Cup today.

The 28-year-old hit a sparkling maiden one-day hundred off just 46 balls against Somerset on Tuesday, but his 116 was ultimately in vain as Kent succumbed to four-wicket defeat.

That leaves them in a precarious position in the South Group already, after losing to Hampshire in their first 50-over contest.

But Blake – who averages 24.87 in red-ball cricket – believes he can kick on and continue to pile on the runs against a Sussex side that sits third after beating Glamorgan on Tuesday.

“I’ll take confidence from my innings and at the age of 28 I now need to produce more consistently,” the lefthander said.

“It was probably the best I have ever played, certainly in a one-day format. It’s my first List A hundred and to get it in 46 balls, even on a belting wicket, was very pleasing.

“With Daniel BellDrummond playing so well , I was able to play my natural game and once I hit a couple out of the middle it seemed to keep happening.

“Unfortunately, it didn’t prove enough to get us a win. When we came off, our captain Sam Northeast said he thought we would need a minimum 300 so I had licence to go out and be positive.”