Kent v Somerset, Vitality County Championship Division One, Canterbury, April 5 – 8, 2024 – Match Drawn, Kent 284 and 290-4, Somerset 404
Any optimism that Jason Kerr would look to conjure an unlikely win in three days after the opening day washout evaporated when he omitted Shoaib Bashir. It is easy to be critical with hindsight but I am sure there are a large number of Somerset supporters who felt this was a poor decision at the outset.
On the one had you have a young bowler brim full of confidence desperate to play for his county. On the other you have a weakened bowling attack with no variety whatsoever. The counter argument that the pitch wouldn’t suit a spinner was undermined by Somerset’s two part-time spinners combining to bowl 46 overs in a three day game. How Lewis Gregory must have longed for the control and ability to seal up one end Bash would have offered allowing him to rotate the seamers from the other end for long periods.
But truth be told this decision did not cost Somerset victory. A bland Canterbury wicket and the docile Kookaburra balls saw to it that, apart from a brief glimpse an hour before lunch on the final day when Kent were 10-2 and still 109 behind, the draw was always going to be the outcome.
You can read this as a failure to beat a palpably weak opponent or as a strong performance from a side denuded of four first-choice first teamers. Pay your money take your choice.
But there are a bunch of takeaways from this game which cannot be argued:
1. Always play at least one of your two Test spinners no matter the pitch or overhead conditions
2. Craig O is the only point of difference among our current seem attack
3. Tom Lammonby may have found his solution – batting at 3. Let’s give it a long run and not knee-jerk react if there are a couple of failures along the way
4. If Renshaw continues to open we should bring Umeed in for Dickson when fit
5. James Rew 2024 = James Rew 2023, at least
6. Kasey Aldridge needs to be given a continued extended run in the side. The chances are that he is evolving into Lewis’ natural successor. This is the season he has to be given the opportunities the fitness counts over Craig, Lewis and Josh will present
7. Tom Banton needs to be given and extended run – he won’t when TKC comes back unless he produces a mountain of runs but I thought he showed well in his cameo on Sunday afternoon
8. Jake Ball must not play at the Oval, must not play ahead of Aldridge. Perhaps he will show his worth in the T20s but he already looks well short of what is needed in our Championship attack.
But for now we are second. Wouldn’t it be nice to still be there this time next week?
