County Championship Essentials: Kent v Yorkshire

Match times, streaming information, tickets and travel, team news, weather forecast, form, predictions and everything else you need to know ahead of the latest round of the County Championship...

Fixture: Kent v Yorkshire

Venue: Canterbury

Dates: Thursday, April 15, 2021 - Sunday, April 18, 2021

Start time: 11am (session times have been altered during the first three days to cater for a pause between 2.50pm and 4.10pm on Saturday for the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral)

What's the lowdown?

Both sides were involved in draws of contrasting kinds during the opening round of County Championship fixtures: Kent's clash with Northamptonshire was a high-scoring affair, while Yorkshire fought back admirably to claim a share of the spoils against Glamorgan after a poor first innings effort.

Joe Root was the main attraction at Headingley and will likely be so once again at Canterbury, with the England captain seeking game time and early-season runs ahead of a  seven-Test summer.

Who's in form?

Adam Lyth is one of the circuit's more consistent openers, and so it should have been little surprise to see him leading Yorkshire's recovery mission with a final-day century. Yorkshire's hopes were hindered, however, by injuries to Ben Coad and Matt Fisher.

For Kent, Darrren Stevens is perennially in form - his hundred at Wantage Road was the first by someone of his age since 1986 in the County Championship.

Last five first-class matches (most recent first)

Kent: DWWDW

Yorkshire: DWDDW

Head-to-head first-class record

Total matches: 202

Kent wins: 40

Yorrkshire wins: 85

Draws: 77

Abandoned: 4

What's the team news?

Kent: Heino Kuhn has recovered from a calf strain to join a squad that is otherwise unchanged from last week's draw with Northamptonshire. Daniel Bell-Drummond continues as skipper, with Sam Billings on Indian Premier League duty.

Kent squad: Daniel Bell-Drummond (c), Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Miguel Cummins, Joe Denly, Fred Klaassen, Heino Kuhn, Jack Leaning, Matt Milnes, Marcus O'Riordan, Harry Podmore, Ollie Robinson, Darren Stevens, Grant Stewart

Yorkshire: Gary Ballance has not been medically cleared to play after suffering a concussion injury in the lead-up to last week's match against Glamorgan.

Ben Coad also misses out after picking up a shoulder injury during the opening game - he will be out for four to five weeks - while an abdominal strain has ruled Matthew Fisher out for three to four weeks. Matthew Waite faces up to six weeks on the sidelines after picking up a side-strain in a pre-season friendly.

Seamer David Willey will likely return to the starting XI to replace Coad or Fisher with the ball while Jordan Thompson and George Hill are included after recovering from their respective injuries. Joe Root is also available.

Yorkshire squad: Steve Patterson (c), Dom Bess, Harry Brook, George Hill, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Tom Loten, Adam Lyth, Duanne Olivier, Mat Pillans, Joe Root, Jonny Tattersall, Jordan Thompson, David Willey

Latest Kent news: Click here

Latest Yorkshire news: Click here

Who's said what?

Yorkshire head coach, Andrew Gale, is hoping his side will come out fighting following their disappointing performance against Glamorgan, stating: "Nothing is won in the first game of the season, and that might just be a bit of a kick up the backside for the lads. Not that they should need it.

"We’ve got to perform better than we did against Glamorgan, that’s for sure, if we’re going to compete with the likes of Lancs and Kent in this group, both who are really good teams. For the line-up we had out against Glamorgan, we performed poorly. And it’s disappointing."

Commenting on the inclusion of David Willey, he added: "He gives us something a bit different, he can change a game, he’s in your face, and I really like that about him.

"With the time we’ve had to work with him this winter, he’s made some adjustments to his action – one to take pressure off his body and two to make him more consistent. He’s put a hell of a lot of work in, and all signs are good from training and the practice games. Hopefully he can click and play a significant part for us."

What's the weather forecast?

Though a sprinkle of rain is anticipated on the first afternoon, conditions should be clear, albeit slightly chilly at times (with highs of 11 degrees Celcius), which should lead to few interruptions.

Keep up to date with the MetOffice’s rolling forecast for Canterbury: Click here

How do I follow the match?

TV/stream: Kent will offer live coverage of the match via the Match Centre on their website: Click here

Kent will also broadcast the game on their YouTube channel.

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. Kent memberships are available here.

Travel: Not applicable owing to Covid-19 restrictions.

Prediction?

Kent are quietly becoming one of the leading red-ball sides in the country, with Zak Crawley's early-season availability adding to an already-strong line-up. Yorkshire will have Joe Root at their disposal, as well as Dom Bess. The Root v Stevens battle promises to be among the most intriguing of the round...

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