Kent head coach Matt Walker insists first-innings runs must be their main priority.
After being bowled out for 244 against reigning champions Surrey, Kent were always on the backfoot as they lost by an innings and 37 runs at Canterbury this week.
The tone was set when Kent again failed to put runs on the board. They were also bowled out for 284 in their season opener against Somerset.
“We have to strive in our first innings to be nearer 400. Otherwise, like we’ve done in every game we’ve played this season and plenty last season, we’re always in this situation at the back end of a game having to claw our way back in,” said Walker.
“It’s draining, frustrating and you can’t win the game. It’s of huge importance, our first-innings runs have to be better. No batting points is also a big miss.
“If you post 400 on there it takes more time out of the game as they’ve got to go past us by more, there’s a bit more pressure and it’s easier for Matt Parkinson to bowl as he’s got more runs to play with.
“It’s not going to get us into games at all. It’s something that is number one on the list for us to be better at.
“We found a couple of strange ways to get out, but 244 on a pretty good wicket against anybody is not going to put you in a position of control.”
Skipper Daniel Bell-Drummond already has two centuries to his name while Joe Denly, Joey Evison and Ben Compton have also impressed with the bat.
Jack Leaning hit 30 and 24 against Surrey but averaged 16 in the first three matches, Tawanda Muyeye averaged 12 in the first two games and England opener Zak Crawley was dismissed for two single-figure scores against Surrey.
“They’re all fine batters, they’ve all done it, Zak has done it at the highest level,” stated Walker.
“Daniel is in great form, Joe Denly is in great form. They’re all in a good place and are a wonderful array of talent.
“That’s great but it’s about delivering when it matters and I have no doubt Zak will have a really good time with us before he goes away.
“The signs are there. I’m quite relaxed about the batting, as frustrating as it is. You want to score more runs, of course we do, and we want to see more hundreds and bigger partnerships, posting 400 in the first innings – all those things are really important.
“I’m not looking at a batting line-up that I’m seeing struggling, really out of form. That’s where this week has been a bit odd as so many people have got in and haven’t been able to go on. We have to make the most of those situations.”
Kent also fielded an inexperienced bowling attack against Surrey with Australian Wes Agar ruled out by injury and Nathan Gilchrist not being risked as he continues to build up to full fitness.
That saw Jas Singh and Arafat Bhuiyan join newcomer George Garrett as their main pace bowlers.
“We couldn’t have risked it,” said Walker. “This is where we were last year, and we did risk it and it caused more problems for us.
“We’ve learnt from our lessons, Nathan has come back from a lay-off and is building his way back up, he’s a little bit short from the winter. He’s played two games and that’s the plan we had for him.
“You could easily go ‘we’ve lost Wes, you’re going to play’, but we were strong on it and we stuck to giving him that time off between games.
“I know we’ve got a break coming up but that’s not how it works, that third game the risk always goes up for seamers. If we lose him as well then we’re in a huge heap of problems.
“Wes was just a morning-of-the-game thing, he bowled fine the day before and woke up feeling his back, he had a bit of it last year and played with it but it caused problems. Again, it was absolutely the right call.
“We know it left us short of experience. It’s an incredibly inexperienced attack against a talented batting line-up so you have a feeling what might happen, but had we risked those bowlers and they got injured then we’re in a more dire situation.”
Kent are without a fixture this week and return to action at Old Trafford against Lancashire on Friday, May 3.
