Essex will travel to The Spitfire Ground, St. Lawrence in Canterbury for a two-day behind-closed-doors practice match against Kent on 27th & 28th July.

Following on from the Kent intra-squad warm-up matches commencing next week, the game with Essex will be played as preparation for the four-day ‘Bob Willis Trophy’ competition beginning on 1st August.

The focus will be on both batsmen and bowlers building match fitness ahead of the shortened 2020 domestic season.

The two sides are expected to bat on one day and bowl the next, and will not be a traditional 11 vs. 11 game.

Kent’s Director of Cricket, Paul Downton, said: “These two days of red-ball cricket against last year’s County Champions is ideal for us as we look to step up preparations for the start of the season.

“We’re expecting to pick a squad of 14 and rotate the bowlers so that they can build on the hard work they have been putting in over the past couple of weeks during individual and team training.

“It’s a real shame that we cannot allow supporters into The Spitfire Ground on 27th & 28th July, but we are all aware of the tremendous support we are continuing to receive from our members and supporters.”

Details on live streaming of these two days of cricket will be confirmed in the near future.