Captain Daniel Bell-Drummond is confident Kent’s players will ignore the noise around the possibility of facing England skipper Ben Stokes.
Stokes, 34, could line up against Kent for unbeaten County Championship Division 2 leaders Durham at Beckenham from tomorrow.
All-rounder Stokes is returning to fitness after he suffered facial injuries in pre-season nets with Durham, ahead of England’s three-match Test series against New Zealand next month.
But Bell-Drummond said: “We’re just focused on that as the next game.
“We’re looking forward to playing against him. He’s becoming one of the greats of the game – if he isn’t already – but ultimately, we have got a job to do as Kent players, whether that’s taking wickets, scoring runs or taking catches.
“I’m just looking forward to another positive performance.”
Batsman Bell-Drummond has not played a first-class match for Kent at Beckenham since 2022, but is excited at the prospect of playing at the out-ground.
“I know five or 10 years ago it was quite nice for batting on,” he recalled. “But we will just see how the pitch is.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the family because I can stay at home! Hopefully, it’s a good four days of cricket.
“We’re in good spirits going into it after back-to-back wins.”
For Lewisham-born Bell-Drummond, the fixture will provide a rare chance to catch up with loved ones after play.
“I’m looking forward to that,” said Bell-Drummond, whose parents live close to the Beckenham ground. “I’ve never really been able to play cricket and see family at the same time, even going back to when I was at school [winning a scholarship at Millfield School in Somerset].
“So, when I get Oval or Beckenham games, they’re always pretty good in that sense.”
Kent take on Alex Lees’ Durham team after sealing a two-wicket win against bottom team Gloucestershire in Bristol on Monday.
Bell-Drummond reflected: “It was awesome. It was a tough and very even game throughout.
“I think the addition of James Taylor was match-winning – him getting 10-fer – but he was backed up by the other seamers.
“With the bat, there were some good contributions and Tawanda Muyeye… Wow! He showed he’s one of the best players in the country, let alone one of the best young ones.
“They were two of the best innings I can remember him playing, which says a lot.”
Tawanda Muyeye, 25, led the way in Kent’s successful second-innings run chase with 108 after he had scored 90 the first time around.
“He was excellent,” said Academy graduate Bell-Drummond. “I don’t think any other player across the game looked as comfortable as he did. He scored on a pitch that wasn’t easy to score on so quickly.
“He made a match-winning contribution for us, across both innings, but especially with that second dig.”
Wicketkeeper Chris Benjamin also offered a first-innings 74 while teenage batsman Ben Dawkins contributed a first-class best 65 as Kent squeezed their noses in front – and just about stayed there.
Bell-Drummond said: “The guys had to chip in at the right moments whether that was taking wickets at the right times or scoring runs.
“Chris Benjamin is having an excellent year, as well. His contributions in both innings were very big. Ben Dawkins partnered very nicely with Tawanda Muyeye, too.
“With the ball, we were able to keep taking wickets and breaking partnerships. I felt we were quite unlucky with the ball in the first innings.
“But overall, I was very impressed with how the guys performed.”
It was left to debutant James Taylor, who had already claimed match figures of 10-106, to hit the winning runs in a memorable start to his initial two-game Kent loan from big-spending Surrey.
“It’s been a brilliant start for him,” said Bell-Drummond. “Obviously, we have got him on loan from Surrey.
“I think he has played a few games for Surrey and always looked like an awkward customer. But I think the guys were pleasantly surprised with his control.
“Once he got a few wickets, his pace was up, so hopefully we can keep him around for a bit longer!”
While Kent fans’ nerves had started to tangle in their run chase, Bell-Drummond always felt confident they would get home, with all-rounder Joey Evison and Taylor seeing them home after teenage all-rounder Ekansh Singh and South African overseas Keith Dudgeon had been dismissed.
“It was so weird,” said the 32-year-old. “After Derbyshire, the confidence just seemed to come back into the group.
“I had a decent partnership with Tawanda. Even after that, I felt Tawanda was in and Benji’s in good form so we should be okay. It kind of panned out like that.
“We lost Ekansh and Keith near the end, and it did get tense in the last few overs. But James Taylor, what a game he had!
“I probably didn’t feel too nervous until the last 20 minutes or so.”
All-rounder Bertie Foreman has signed a short-term Kent contract.
The news was revealed by the county on Foreman’s 22nd birthday, with the left-hand batsman and right-arm off-spinner having impressed for the 2nds this summer.
Foreman will be available for Kent’s first-team in the Rothesay County Championship Division 2 and Vitality T20 Blast until July 19.
Director of cricket Simon Cook said: “Bertie has worked extremely hard to earn an opportunity in the first-team and deserves this chance to impress further.
“He has attributes that will add more to the squad tactically, providing middle-order, left-handed batting as well as an off-spinning option, as we head into the height of summer.
