After winning their first three Vitality Blast fixtures, Kent Spitfires coach Matt Walker is delighted to have Afghanistan spinner Qais Ahmad and New Zealand seamer Adam Milne who returns for another spell at Canterbury.

Qais Ahmad made his debut in a Spitfires shirt in the five runs win over Gloucestershire at Canterbury on Sunday with the spinner taking 2/32 from his four overs.

Having now secured his two signings for the Vitality T20 Blast, Walker, speaking exclusively to KSN explained how the club worked hard to get the pair to Canterbury.

“We’ve got a squad now where everyone wants to be a part of it and one that I hope can be as competitive as anyone else,” Walker told us.

“It was a very interesting month as we’ve been trying to get an overseas signing nailed down for the Blast – we went round the houses a little bit.”

Walker had been due to welcome Pakistani seamer Mohammad Amir to the club but explained how his return to play in the PSL lead to the return of a former favourite.

“The situation became very tricky with the PSL being rearranged – initially it looked like he’d be here for the whole of The Blast, then it was for six games and then when it got to the stage of only being three games, we felt that for that small amount of time probably wasn’t worthwhile, so we had to look elsewhere…”

“And to get Adam back who is a familiar face and someone we know very well who had been with us for a number of years – he’s just a brilliant cricketer and we know what he can do as he’s one of the best in the world at what he does which is to top and tail an innings with the ball.”

“His record with us is extraordinary – when he plays in the team our win percentage goes through the roof – so to have him back is a real boost!”

“He loves playing for the Spitfires and is a capped player – that familiarity, I absolutely love to have that continuity in someone that we already know, and he knows exactly what we’re all about.”

“To have them both – in fact three overseas with Heino (Kuhn) to be available in The Blast gives us real options and gives everyone some real excitement for what’s ahead.”

“We can only play two of them in any team, so we’ll see what happens and how the campaign unfolds, but when you add that sort of quality to your line up it gives everyone a boost that we’ll have that sort of experience and skill at our disposal. In the end we’ve got to a position that we’re in a very happy position!”

The Spitfires will look to make it four wins from four when they face Somerset at Taunton on Tuesday night.

Picture supplied by Max Flego Photography.