T20 Blast 2023: Essex vs Kent – South Group Match Preview and Updates

Cricket

Kent will look to move into the top four of the South Group points table when it visits the County Ground in Chelmsford on Thursday to face hosts Essex.

The South Group Match between Essex vs Kent will take place on June 22nd, 2023 at County Ground, Chelmsford.

Match Details to Note

Match: Essex vs Kent, South Group Match, T20 Blast 2023

Date: June 22, 2023 (Thursday)

Time: 11:30 PM IST

Venue: County Ground, Chelmsford

Essex vs Kent

Essex (Match Odds – 1.70):

Preview:

Somerset ended Essex’s five-match winning streak in their most recent match. Nonetheless, the team has won 7 of the 10 games it has played so far and currently sits in third place on the points table, and a win here will go a long way toward helping it reach the quarterfinals.

Feroze Khushi and Daniel Lawrence haven’t been the best opening pair, frequently failing to provide the team with a solid start. They will, however, try to put their best foot forward here. In the middle order, Michael Pepper, Robin Das, and Paul Walter will appear.

Each of them has pitched well so far, but the team will need them to be more consistent. Daniel Sams has been an outstanding all-rounder, scoring 232 runs and taking 18 wickets. He is Essex’s leading wicket-taker this season and will once again lead the pace attack alongside Sam Cook and Shane Snater.

Simon Harmer and Michael Critchley have been effective spinners, taking 28 wickets between them. The bowlers have been instrumental in Essex’s success thus far.

Full Squad:

Feroze Khushi, Daniel Lawrence, Michael-Kyle Pepper, Robin Das, Paul Walter, Matthew Critchley, Daniel Sams, William Buttleman(w), Simon Harmer(c), Shane Snater, Sam Cook, Ben Allison, Aron Nijjar, Tom Westley, Aaron Beard

Possible Playing XI:

Daniel Lawrence, Feroze Khushi, Michael-Kyle Pepper, Robin Das, Paul Walter, Matthew Critchley, Daniel Sams, William Buttleman (wk), Simon Harmer (c), Shane Snater, Sam Cook

Kent (Match Odds – 2.15):

Preview:

Kent had a disastrous start to the season, losing 5 of its first 6 games. However, it has managed to turn things around and is now on a four-match winning streak. With four more matches remaining, the team must maintain their winning streak if they are to advance to the quarterfinals.

Daniel Bell-Drummond, Kent’s opening batsman, has been a standout this season, scoring 407 runs. Tawanda Muyeye, his partner, hasn’t been as free-flowing and will be looking for a big inning here. Similarly, middle-order batsmen Sam Billings and Jack Leaning have struggled to score big runs, which have cost the team a few games.

Joe Denly and Jordan Cox, on the other hand, have performed admirably. Michael Hogan and Grant Stewart have done an excellent job of picking up wickets in the bowling department, but they have come at a cost. Wes Agar and Fred Klaassen haven’t played many games this season, but they’ll be crucial in the future.

However, the spin department is deficient, with George Linde serving as the team’s sole specialist spinner.

Full Squad:

Tawanda Muyeye, Daniel Bell-Drummond, Joe Denly, Sam Billings(w/c), Jordan Cox, Jack Leaning, George Linde, Grant Stewart, Wes Agar, Fred Klaassen, Michael Hogan, Kane Richardson, Alex Blake, Joey Evison, Nathan Gilchrist, Arafat Bhuiyan

Possible Playing XI:

Tawanda Muyeye, Daniel Bell-Drummond, Joe Denly, Sam Billings (c & wk), Jordan Cox, Jack Leaning, George Linde, Grant Stewart, Wes Agar, Fred Klaassen, Michael Hogan

Essex vs Kent Batsmen Worth Watching

Eight Essex batters scored in the single digits against Somerset, and the margin of defeat would have been much larger if not for middle order runs from Robin Das, Paul Walter, and Matt Critchley. Das led the way with 72 runs and added 94 runs for the fourth wicket with Walter.

Jordan Cox hit 82 not out from 44 balls in Kent’s win over Sussex Sharks on Tuesday. Cox and Jack Leaning added an unbeaten 77-run fifth-wicket stand as the Spitfires won with 6 wickets and 8 balls remaining.

Essex vs Kent Bowlers Worth Watching

Essex’s bowlers only took three wickets on Monday evening, with Sam Cook, Shane Snater, Paul Walter, and Matt Critchley all going wicketless. Simon Harmer took a wicket but was costly, with Daniel Sams leading the attack with 2-22.

Australian pace bowler Michael Hogan is 42 years old, but that hasn’t stopped him from producing consistently in the T20 Blast. He bowled 4-31 against the Sussex Sharks, with Fred Klaassen, Wes Agar, and Grant Stewart each taking a wicket.

Essex vs Kent Toss Prediction

The team that wins the toss will almost certainly choose to bowl first.

Essex vs Kent Pitch Report

The pitch at Chelmsford’s County Ground is good for batting, with an average first-inning score of around 180. The faster bowlers, on the other hand, will be able to get some movement early in the game, and the batsmen will need to settle down before playing the big shots.

The weather is expected to stay clear, with temperatures ranging from 18 to 23 degrees Celsius.

Essex vs Kent Prediction

This could be a fantastic match, with Essex looking to return to winning ways in front of their home fans against Kent, who have recently found form as a team. We expect a close game, but Essex has more variety in their bowling attack, so we’re picking them to win. Check out the odds at Cricbaba!

Essex is the favourite to beat Kent at the odds of 1.70.