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Bowler Matt Quinn doesn’t reckon Kent Spitfires will change too much ahead of a potentially crucial group stage-ending T20 Blast clash this evening.
Spitfires start the day in fourth, a position which would earn them a Quarter-Final spot, prior to their game against South Group winners Somerset at Taunton.
Kent could yet miss out on qualification for the knockout stages. But with their match beginning last, at 6.30pm due to it being televised, they’ll know where they stand and exactly what’s required of them from the contest - if anything!
“I don’t think anything changes from what we have done,” said 30-year-old Quinn, who returned to the team for Friday night’s rain-affected loss at home to Sussex Sharks, their first defeat in the competition since they lost to Essex Eagles last month.
“Obviously, I haven’t really been in the squad a huge amount this year, but the lads have been absolutely flying.
“I’m sure we’ll just stick to what we have been doing so far in this competition.”
Somerset are the only side definitely through in the South Group prior to an exciting finale, although second-placed Surrey are also likely to qualify for the last-eight due to their run rate.
They are joined on 16 points by Hampshire Hawks, Essex – who are away to Surrey - and Kent are locked on 14 points.
But Spitfires are expected to face Somerset without in-form batsman Daniel Bell-Drummond, who pulled up with a hamstring injury against Sussex. Australian overseas bowlers Wes Agar and Kane Richardson miss out, too, and batting all-rounder Joe Denly and Dutch seamer Fred Klaassen are other fitness doubts.
“There’s still so many question marks around what we need to do or what’s going to happen,” conceded Quinn. “But obviously, as a group, we’re just going to look to do our best and win the game.
“I know we beat Somerset there last year.
“They’re a very tough team to beat at home, we know that, and they’re, obviously, top of the table. But we’ll go out there and execute our skills as best as we can.
“Hopefully, we’ll come away with a win.”
Such has been the toll of a gruelling schedule, Quinn only knew he would be facing Sussex, hours before that encounter due to injuries to his team-mates, so he was thankful to have an experienced head in 42-year-old Michael Hogan to lean upon.
He noted: “It all felt a bit rushed, I won’t lie. But it was really nice having Hoges out there.
“He has done really well in this competition and tried to keep me a bit calm.”
While Matt Walker’s squad could end up playing Somerset in a match which feels like a knockout game, that’s not exactly unusual territory for them after last year’s Royal London One-Day Cup success and their Blast triumph the year before that.
Quinn said: “In my time while I have been at Kent, we’ve won some really big games of knockout cricket.
“We have some quality players, some very experienced players, so I’m sure they’ll impact the group and, hopefully, we can come away with a win.”
Kent Spitfires squad to face Somerset: Billings, Bhuiyan, Blake, Cox, Denly, Evison, Finch, Hogan, Klaassen, Leaning, Linde, Muyeye, Quinn, Stewart.