The long wait is almost over and Kent, captained by Ollie Robinson, will get their Championship season underway against Essex at Chelmsford on Thursday.

With skipper Sam Billings away playing in the Indian Premier League, it was expected that Jack Leaning would captain the four day side, but a hamstring injury rules him out of the season opener.

Leaning however will travel with the squad to Chelmsford to continue his rehabilitation work giving Robinson the chance to captain Kent, having skippered the side during 2021’s Royal London Cup.

Australia Jackson Bird is named in the 13 man travelling squad having flown in over the past week, however George Linde won’t feature after he arrived in the UK on Monday after featuring for Western Province Blitz in South Africa’s Momentum One Day Cup, and will now be available for Kent’s home match next week.

Zak Crawley has been ruled out of featuring this week despite being made available by England having not long returned from the West Indies and that will present chances for others in the batting line up.

Ben Compton is expected to open the innings having made a string of Second XI appearances for Kent.

At almost 46 years old, Darren Stevens will start his 26th season as a professional cricketer having made his debut for Leicestershire back in 1997.

Possibly still the first name on the Kent teamsheet, Stevens remains the side’s talisman and brings balance to the middle order with his wily medium pace / swing bowling, tandomed with his counter attacking destructive batting.

Tipped to be one of the favourites to be struggling to win games this season by so called pundits, Kent could surprise a few sides in the coming months.