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Matt Walker has a plan to tackle Sussex bowling attack

Matt Walker says the key to facing Sussex’s star-studded bowling attack at Hove on Friday is to 'play the ball and not the man'.

Sussex have the number one T20 bowler in the world in leg spinner Rashid Khan along with Jofra Archer, Chris Jordan, David Wiese and Danny Briggs.

In the reverse fixture at The Spitfire Ground, the match was rained off after just 11.2 overs with Kent in a good position on 99-2.

Matt Walker. Picture: Ady Kerry
Matt Walker. Picture: Ady Kerry

Head coach Walker said: “We started off brilliantly in that game that was washed out. I thought against all the high quality spinners we’ve played this year we’ve played them very well.

“It’s about identifying their threats and they’ve got quite a few of them.

“The message we had last time was to play the ball and not the man and make sure we keep our good things going.

“They are a dangerous side but there are lots in this division. We have got to clear the mind and play each ball as it comes and when we come to bowling we have to make sure we do what we did at Hampshire.”

Kent go into the match on the back of a defeat to Gloucestershire on Sunday but are still second in the south group.

Just four points separate the top six teams with four going through to play a quarter-final later this month.

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Walker said: “We’ve been pretty good in this competition and there’s no reason panic just because you lose a game. It’s going to happen and it’s about how we bounce back on Friday night.

“The south group has been a little bit different this year. There are three at the bottom who are cut adrift and those at the top who are winning games consistently this year and we are one of them.

“We have to keep winning. I don’t know how many points are going to secure a quarter-final and we try not to think about that too much. It’s one game at a time and the usual message.”

Kent then host Middlesex at Beckenham on Sunday and Walker is looking forward to returning to the club’s outground.

He added: “It’s a very good wicket with good pace. It suits our style of play and we are really able to express ourselves.

“It’s surface that you can put your foot down from the start. For some reason we’ve had some great luck there and we seem to know how to play on that ground.

“It’s a new experience for a lot of teams so maybe that plays into our hands as well.”

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