2021 County Championship – Kent vs Yorkshire Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Kent vs Yorkshire taking place? Thursday 15th April, 2021 – 11:00 (UK)
Where is Kent vs Yorkshire taking place? The Spitfire Ground, Canterbury
Where can I get tickets for Kent vs Yorkshire? The County Championship will initially be played without spectators but it is worth checking each county’s official website for updates
What channel is Kent vs Yorkshire on? This match will not be televised live in the UK
Where can I stream Kent vs Yorkshire? Matches can be streamed live on the official websites of the First-Class Counties
THE PREDICTION
Kent have been talked of as potential ‘dark horses’ for the Championship this season but they have to emerge from a tough group which features both Lancashire and Yorkshire. Their opening-match draw away to Northamptonshire will have given them some general encouragement as the forever young all-rounder, Darren Stevens, began his season with an unbeaten century and 2-59. Boy wonder Jordan Cox managed a half-century opening the batting whilst Jack Leaning and Ollie Robinson also went past the fifty mark. They conceded 434 runs with 278 of those being shared by just two players in the Northants side so there will be a realisation that it wasn’t a consistent onslaught of their bowling.
Yorkshire’s opening match at home to Glamorgan was amusingly halted for nearly a full day due to relatively heavy snow in Leeds. Joe Root’s availability will continue to be a boost for the White Rose county despite him only managing 16 and 13 in that match; his brother Billy, on the other hand, hit an unbeaten century so that could lead to some added motivation for the England Test captain to pick up some form again. An impressive and unbeaten Adam Lyth century as well as half-century from Harry Brook meant the home team managed to stave off defeat against their Welsh opponents but it wasn’t a convincing start from one of the favourites for the competition.
Canterbury hosted three Bob Willis Trophy matches in 2020 and aside from an anomalous score of 530-1 in which Kent’s Jordan Cox and Jack Leaning both finished not out with double hundreds, there were only two other scores of over 200 runs in ten innings. If that theme was to continue with the assistance of early season conditions, the better seam bowling attack should come out on top and Yorkshire’s lineup of Coad, Fisher, Patterson and Olivier seem to have the edge.
