50-over form can help says Clint

LEICESTERSHIRE may have narrowly missed out on qualification for the One-Day Cup knockout stages but Clint McKay is convinced they will still take momentum back into the County Championship.

The East Midlands side return to four-day action as they welcome high-flying Kent to Grace Road today, just 72 hours after a narrow 20-run defeat to Yorkshire in the white-ball competition.

They ultimately finished sixth in the South Group, with three wins from eight matches, and while the redball game is a different beast, one-day captain McKay is adamant the positives from the One-Day Cup will easily transfer.

“It doesn’t matter what brand of cricket you are playing, if you are playing good cricket then it’s going to flow on,” he said.

“There’s going to be momentum to take into the Kent game. The boys are in a good space.

“They know they’re playing great cricket and we are all very confident as we get back into the red-ball stuff.”

McKay is one-day and T20 captain at Grace Road, and although Mark Cosgrove will take the reins for the County Championship, the Australian enjoyed donning the armband.

“It’s always a learning curve, and hopefully my captaincy is only going to improve,” added McKay.

The return of four-day cricket will be a welcome relief for Kent, as they look to put a dismal One-Day Cup campaign – that saw them win just once – behind them.

They are currently second in Division Two of the County Championship, behind Notts, with three victories from three.