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KENT’S limited overs skipper Matt Walker says his side will need to take a good long look at themselves this winter after Sunday’s Jekyll and Hyde display against Durham.
Spitfires were gunned down by eight wickets and lost the game with 18 overs to spare in a performance Walker later described as ‘simply not good enough’.
Abject batting on a difficult pitch could be excused, but Kent’s ill disciplined bowling performance and slip-shod and spiritless stint in the field could not be.
“The tone needed to be set from ball if we were to have any chance of defending a total of 140, yet Durham had 25 on the board within three overs,” said Walker.
“There was an air of inevitability from there on and our spirit in the field and the body language wasn’t good enough.
“It’s a problem we have had at Kent for as long as I remember because we’ve always had a few quiet characters that just go about their business and get on with their own games.
“I’m naturally lively in the field to keep my own game sharp and I know everyone is different, but it makes it really hard for me to create an atmosphere on the field when the game’s slipping away from us.”
Walker added: “We talked about one-day cricket a lot last week and I was pleased how we ‘put away’ Yorkshire and Scotland, but just as I think we’re climbing the ladder we slip back a few rungs.
“That’s how it’s been this season and at this stage it’s a bit pointless getting too upset as we have the Championship to concentrate on, but there is a lot of work to be done for next year.
“As a team and as individuals we need to look at the way we approach and prepare for one-day cricket because financially the club needs us to be playing well and to packed houses.”