Match times, streaming information, tickets and travel, team news, head-to-head record, weather forecast, prediction, and everything else you need to know ahead of the latest round of the County Championship...
Fixture: Yorkshire v Kent
Venue: Emerald Headingley, Leeds
Dates: Thursday, May 6, 2021 - Sunday, May 9, 2021
Start time: 11am
What's the lowdown?
Yorkshire come into the game having been involved in the most dramatic climax to a game in this season's County Championship.
A one-run win over Northamptonshire, at the end of a match which ebbed and flowed throughout, will certainly give the White Rose extra impetus going into this week's fixture against Kent. Not that they need much more of it... Yorkshire sit second in Group 3, having won three of their four matches so far in 2021.
Only Lancashire are ahead of Steven Patterson's side, who would be level with their great rivals but for a six batting bonus point deficit. Of the 18 counties, only Warwickshire have fewer batting bonus points than Yorkshire so far this term.
Kent will be desperate for a return to form after being turned over inside two days in Cardiff last week. Despite Darren Stevens claiming a five-wicket haul on his 45th birthday, they were thumped by 10 wickets, having been dismissed for 138 and 74 in their first and second innings respectively.
Kent have not won a game yet in 2021 and are rock bottom of Group 1, fully 49 points behind Yorkshire. If they are to stand any chance of progressing to the top table of the second stage of the competition, victory this week is essential.
Who's in form?
Adam Lyth sits second in the national runscoring table and has mullered 515 runs at a strike rate of close to 70 opening the batting for the White Rose.
Though Stevens and Daniel Bell-Drummond have both hit centuries, Kent have struggled for runs and are the only county without a batsman averaging north of 40 this term.
It was skipper Patterson who got Yorkshire over the line against Northants with the ball and he has been the main man for them so far this season, with 16 wickets at 18.31.
Support has come in the form of left-armer David Willey, who took six wickets against the county of his birth last week and already has a five-for against Kent this season.
Last five first-class matches (most recent first)
Yorkshire: WWWDL
Kent: LLLDW
Head-to-head first-class record
Total matches: 203
Yorkshire wins: 86
Kent wins: 40
Draws: 77
Abandoned: 4
What's the team news?
Yorkshire: Joe Root and Ben Coad return to the Yorkshire squad for the clash with Kent. David Willey is rested. Matthew Fisher and Matthew Waite have been ramping up their returns to full fitness in the 2nd XI.
Squad: Gary Ballance, Dom Bess, Harry Brook, Ben Coad, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Adam Lyth, Duanne Olivier, Steve Patterson, Mat Pillans, Joe Root, Jonny Tattersall, Jordan Thompson
Kent: Matt Quinn joins the county on loan from Essex and slots straight into the squad. Matt Milnes (ankle) and Heino Khun (calf) join Harry Podmore (side strain), Tim Groenewald (knee), Grant Stewart (abdomen) and Imran Qayyum (shoulder) on the Kent injury table.
The 2019 Wisden School’s Cricketer of the Year Tawanda Muyeye makes his first squad of the summer.
Squad: Daniel Bell-Drummond (c), Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Miguel Cummins, Joe Denly, Nathan Gilchrist, Fred Klaassen, Jack Leaning, Tawanda Muyeye, Marcus O’Riordan, Matt Quinn, Ollie Robinson, Darren Stevens
Latest Yorkshire news: Click here
Who's said what?
Yorkshire captain Steve Patterson is not letting his side's rich vein of form go to his, or his players' heads.
"We’re going to be confident because we’ve won three games in a row," he said.
"It’s a special achievement. But there’s a lot of work still to be done. We know that – we’re not silly."
Matt Quinn said of joining Kent on loan: “I’m pleased to have the opportunity to be playing more regular first-class cricket, and I’m determined to make positive contributions for Kent during my time here.”
Director of cricket Paul Downton said: “We’re delighted that Matt has agreed to join us on loan. We have suffered an unusual amount of injuries this season and Matt will be a valuable short-term addition to our bowling attack.”
What's the weather forecast?
Eeek. It looks like a wet one in Leeds. Thursday afternoon and most of Saturday could well be disrupted.
Keep up to date with the MetOffice’s rolling forecast for Headingley: Click here
How do I follow the match?
TV/stream: Yorkshire will offer live coverage of the match via their website: Click here
All County Championship matches are also available via the ECB's central hub: Click here
The matches can also be viewed on mobile via the ECB app.
Radio: BBC Local Radio and the BBC Sport website will carry ball-by-ball radio commentary of the game.
Digital: The Cricketer will carry live scorecards and daily updates from every County Championship match in 2021, as well as the latest breaking news from around the counties and exclusive features. Visit our County Hub for more.
Going to the game?
Tickets: This match is to be played behind closed doors owing to Covid-19 restrictions.
Travel: Not applicable owing to Covid-19 restrictions.
Prediction?
If the forecast rain comes to pass, there might not be enough gametime to force a result. But if Kent bat as they did at Glamorgan, there just may. Still, we're going for the rain-affected draw.
OTHER ROUND FIVE PREVIEWS
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
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