Zak Crawley rested from Kent's County Championship opener

An ECB central contract-holder, he was given permission to play against Essex at Chelmsford by England management, with the fixture due to begin on Thursday (April 7)

Zak Crawley will not feature for Kent in their opening LV= Insurance County Championship despite being made available by the ECB.

Crawley returned from England's Test series in the Caribbean last week, having also been a part of the Ashes squad.

An ECB central contract-holder, he was given permission to play against Essex at Chelmsford by England management, with the fixture due to begin on Thursday (April 7).

^{Zak Crawley has been rested after recently returning from international duty (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)}

However, following conversations at club level, the opening batsman has been rested.

A Kent statement read: "After discussions between the player and the club's coaching team, Zak Crawley will not be selected for this match, having only returned from England duty in the Caribbean in the past few days.

Crawley is expected to be available for the first home game of the season, against Lancashire from April 14.

Jack Leaning will also miss the match, having suffered a hamstring injury, the extent of which is currently unclear.

Ollie Robinson will captain the side in Leaning's absence, with club skipper Sam Billings away on Indian Premier League duty.

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