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Symonds: We now have belief in ourselves

KENT'S overseas star Andrew Symonds will be seeking to make a good early impression when the county begin their Frizzell County Championship campaign against Hampshire in Canterbury tomorrow.

Symonds suffered a mixed season back in Queensland where he helped his state lift the Pura Cup, Australia’s equivalent of the county championship, only to be dropped from his country’s one-day international side for inconsistency.

But the Birmingham-born all-rounder is delighted to be back at St Lawrence at the start of a new two-year deal. He said: “It’s good that the deal’s been done with Kent for a couple of seasons and I’m looking forward to getting down to play some good cricket now.

“Obviously I’m disappointed at being dropped from the Australian side but I just wanted to win the Pura Cup so I was pretty happy overall. I scored 91 in the final in about four-and-a-half hours which is far slower than I usually score, but I battled away and needed to take it steady.”

Symonds is confident that his Kent colleagues will have also learnt the winning habit after their Norwich Union success last September. He said: “We proved to ourselves that we were good enough to win a trophy. That belief is hard to come by but I guess we have it now.”

Newly promoted Hampshire will present injury-hit Kent with a tough start, but one that new championship skipper David Fulton believes his side can overcome. Fulton said:

“Hampshire have signed a few new faces and like most sides will be really buzzing at this time."

Back in the top flight after winning the Division 2 title last year, Hampshire have strengthened in the winter by signing England bat John Crawley, South African-born keeper Nic Pothas while Zimbabwean all-rounder Neil Johnson is again their overseas star.

As for the hosts, the Kent bowlers line up in the physiotherapy room.

Last season’s leading wicket-taker Martin Saggers is on the comeback trail from a groin strain yet remains optimistic of starting against Hampshire.

However, close-season signing James Hewitt (knee), Ben Trott (back), James Golding (side strain) are all set to undergo late fitness tests, while England all-rounder Mark Ealham will definitely miss out after fracturing a knuckle.

With all the injury doubts Danish international strike bowler Amjad Khan is likely to make a county championship debut, while Lordswood’s David Masters could earn a recall.

Kent from: Key, Fulton, Smith, Symonds, Walker, Nixon, Fleming, Patel, Saggers, Hewitt, Masters, Khan, Hockley, Golding, Trott, Tredwell.

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