As the Kent players continue their training for the start of the County Championship season in two weeks’ time, coach Matt Walker has been talking to KSN about his new batting coach – Alex Gidman – and having skipper Sam Billings available at the start of the season.

Having Billings back for the first time in a while, we catch up with Matt in the second of our pre season exclusive chats with the Kent coach.

“Really pleased that we got Alex in,” Walker told us. “It’s a really good “signing” and we’ve been very fortunate with the fact that the last two coaches who have had that role have been outstanding – Mike Yardy and Ryan Ten Doeschate – but I think it’s a role that lends itself to people being around for a short period of time, a bit of a stepping stone role if you like, but to get a very experienced player like Alex is a bit of a coup for us really.”

“I played a lot against him over the years – he played over five hundred first class games, he’s captained and been a coach himself and having come out of Worcester, I think he’s really excited to go back into a coaching role and start a new journey for him.”

“He’s got a wealth of experience and is a really good guy and I think he will really add to the group, and for someone for me to be able to feed off gives us another experienced head in the dressing room to be able to impart his knowledge.”

“Sometimes these things come around and you don’t always expect them to come off, and I think our players will be very lucky to work with him when he starts in the next few days.”

“Sometimes I think you just need a freshness as well, and a fresh face does give it a freshness in another voice, a different outlook and some fresh ideas and it will definitely enhance the coaching group.”

An “unexpected” to some at least part of the squad arriving at Canterbury is the skipper who has turned his back in franchise cricket to potentially begin his own Ashes campaign on April 6th.

Walker was clearly to see his skipper and he said, “To have Sam at the start of the year is a rarity and I think is a really bold move by him and a positive move.”

“He wants to be here and wants to start the season as I think he recognises that him being around is going to be a huge boost for everybody – a real boost in the playing sense to have a player of his ability available to start the year in the Championship, and of course from the captain’s point of view, he’s here during pre-season to be able to be around the group and give a real boost to be able to build for the start of the year with the captain here.”

“I’m really pleased that he’s made the decision – he could have easily stayed with the IPL and we would have carried on regardless but I think it really sends a message to the whole group that he wants to be at Canterbury and wants to be part of the squad at the start of the year.”

“We’ve got a very good player who we don’t often see at the start of the year, so it gives us “another” player at our disposal which in itself is really exciting.”

“And it makes it really competitive when you add him into the group as well. Everyone’s buzzing that he’ll be here for the start.”

“The group is a strong one – we know that. We’re still looking maybe for another domestic bowler but all in all the squad is becoming more and more strong year on year.”

“That brings its own challenges and presents a lot of competition which does lead to players leaving the club as they’re not playing as often as they’d like – it has its down side but of course, we can’t worry about that and you’ve just got to get the strongest squad that you can possibly put together so that you can bring the club more success.”

“It’s going to be very interesting to have everyone around at the start of the year. There’ll be huge competition for places in the Championship side and we’re going to have to be smart how we manage our bowlers and make sure we look after the seamers a bit better than we did last year.”

“All in all, we’re looking like a really competitive group.”

Next in our exclusive pre-season chat with the Kent coach, we look at some of the players through the coaches’ eyes for whom 2023 could be a big year both at Canterbury and on the world stage.