Skipper Daniel Bell-Drummond has hailed new Kent head coach Adam Hollioake as one of the best-ever captains in England.
Bell-Drummond is about to start his second summer as Kent’s red-ball captain.
And the 31-year-old batsman is looking forward to doing so under former England all-rounder Hollioake, who has replaced Matt Walker at the Kent helm over the close season.
Hollioake is an ex-England skipper from the 1990s, having successfully led Surrey to nine trophies during a successful era for the county.
On working with the 53-year-old, Bell-Drummond said: “It’s brilliant, especially for me as a captain.
“He was one of the greatest captains ever in this country so I’ve learnt a lot personally but, also, we have as a team.
“We have been going through some great ideas and, also, he’s been understanding us.
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“Hopefully, it will keep working out this way, but it’s been a great start.”
Bell-Drummond was among the Kent players to undertake some warm-weather training in Mumbai, India, in February ahead of their new campaign.
“It was a really good experience with lots of batting,” he said.
“I was just batting all day, facing their bowlers and some of our lads. It was good for team-bonding, as well.
“It was good to get away, get out the cold a little bit, and pre-season has been good. The first week was quite a busy week with lots of meetings. But it’s great to see everyone back.
“A lot of people seem to be in good nick and raring to go so it’s been productive.”
While the 2024 season was a largely forgettable one for Kent, who suffered relegation from Division 1 of the County Championship, the downturn in fortunes on the pitch didn’t seem to cause many problems off it.
“That’s very fair,” admitted the Academy graduate. “Obviously, it wasn’t a good season for us overall but I was really impressed with how the guys stuck together.
“The commitment was certainly there – we just weren’t good enough on a lot of occasions, and we didn’t have the luck with injuries and things like that – but I was really impressed with how the guys stuck together.
“It’s never easy, losing. Obviously, we turn up to win games but, at the end of the day, your attitude is the most important thing.
“That’s something which will definitely continue under Adam.
“We have got a good group of guys and, now, it’s just about turning that into results.”
Joey Evison’s double-century was the highlight of a three-day draw for Kent against Loughborough UCCE that ended at Canterbury’s Spitfire Ground on Tuesday.
Resuming unbeaten on 152, all-rounder Evison was 216 not out when Kent declared on 599-7.
Italian international all-rounder Grant Stewart (43 not out) also chipped in after Jaydn Denly had been dismissed for 125.
In reply, the visitors were on 142-4 when the two teams shook hands.
Seam bowler Jas Singh’s second-innings figures of 2-11 from five overs were another home highlight, and teenager Corey Flintoff (1-12) claimed his first Kent wicket, too.
