Championship v Kent (Tunbridge Wells) Sun 17 - Wed 20 Jul

I doubt both Archer and Whittingham will play. I'd like to see Robinson in place of one of them but it could be Shahzad. Equally it could be five bowlers in which case Finch or Machan drops out.

I certainly wouldn't play Beer or Briggs. I've seen every match at T Wells in the last goodness knows how many years and I don't recall seeing spinners prosper very often - even when Saeed Ajmal was bamboozling county cricketers all over the country, he struggled at the Nevill Gound when Worcs were the visitors a few seasons ago. It will have to be down to the spin twins Wells and Nash to keep the over rate up to the mark.

Don't know about Coles. He's suspended for a month and his offence was on June 18/19, so if they stick to the letter - and this is Kent so they probably will - he should still be suspended (or 'unavailable' as they euphemsitically put it).

It will certainly be a weakened Kent side without him. Rabada will take wickets but after that there is nothing in the seam department. Stevens at 40 is a busted flush and only a threat with the new cherry for a few overs. As soon as the ball stops wobbling he can bowl all day without taking a wicket. Haggett is injured and Griffith is like Mills, too crocked to play anything but white ball. Of the rest, Claydon is an honest journeyman who tried hard but takes his wickets at around 40 apiece and tends to go for 4-5 runs an over. Then there are the fringe/second XI seamers like Thomas, who I think is injured, and Hunn and Hartley, both of whom will probably be released in September as they aren't good enough for f/c cricket.

All in all, after Rabada and Jordan have been seen off, it should be a run fest on both sides. I'd guess Sussex and Kent have probably been smacked for more runs this season than any of the other 16 counties (I counted how many times Sussex have conceded more than 400 runs in the first innings the other day and I think it was more times than they've bowled sides out for less than 400...and Essex took Kent for 569 last week at Chelmsford).

Kent have a few gaps in the batting, too. Bell-Drummond and Billings will be missing with the Lions, the Kiwi opener Latham can't play because they will prefer Rabada, and Stevens has barely scored a run all season. And the reserve keeper Rouse in injured so Callum Jackson will keep wicket. Northeast, however, is in cracking form.

So with Bell-Drummond, Billings, Latham, Coles, Haggett, Rouse, Thomas and Griffith all "unavailable" for various reasons, a weakened Kent might look something like this:-

Dickson
Denly
Ball
Northeast
Blake
Stevens
Jackson
Tredwell
Claydon
Rabada
an other seamer (Hartley? Hunn? Weller?)

Trust me. They're both on their way out.  Hugh Bernard and Sam Weller are seen as better prospects.

Agree those two are better prospects.

I haven't seen any indication that he has left yet, and South Africa is not that many hours flying time away and only two hours ahead, so he could leave on Wednesday night. But if he does go earlier, perhaps after this Friday's T20, Salt would be my preference for the next cab off the rank.

Let's hope so, and it's not just Sussex taking us for mugs Missing Taylor and Joyce would be a huge blow

Good luck to Dominic and Otford U-15s, longhops.  See you there Sunday afternoon, hopefully  celebrating Otford's triumph.  May be see both of you at the Nevill this afternoon for the T20 v Surrey,too?

I see Kent are flagging up  the problems of staging a festival week at Tunbridge Wells next season in high summer as the new style fixture list, playing the different forms in blocks, will probably prevent the four day game + one T20 festival programme. Sussex will have the same problem with Arundel, I guess.

My Sussex XI would be Nash, Finch, Wells, Taylor, Wright, Machan, Brown, Jordan, Archer, Magoffin, Whittingham

Revised Kent XI: Dickson, Denly, Northeast *, Stevens, Blake, Ball, Tredwell, Jackson (+), Rabada, Claydon, AN Other

Bell-Drummond and Billings are with the Lions.