by Andrew Gidley

Malinga Bandara will make his Kent Spitfires debut in their opening Friends Provident t20 game of the season against Essex Eagles at Chelmsford on Wednesday night.

The 30 year-old Sri Lankan leg spinner replaces Makhaya Ntini as the county’s overseas player for the rest of the summer, and is set to forge a twin-spin combination with James Tredwell.

The Spitfires, who are bidding for a place in their fourth successive finals day, have named a 12 man squad for the game, although Bandara for Ntini is likely to be the only change from the side that beat Scottish Saltires by 58 runs in the Clydesdale Bank 40 competition at Canterbury on Sunday.

Youngster Alex Blake (pictured) keeps his place after hitting a career-best 81 not out at the weekend. Sam Northeast is left out.

Kent’s success in the competition, including appearances in two finals and the semi-finals in the last three year means they have played more matches in the competition than any other county, with the match against Essex their 64th Twenty20 game.

They have won seven of their previous 13 games against the Eagles, who will include ex-Kent pair Matthew Walker and David Masters in their line-up.

The competition takes on a new look this season, the 18 counties are split into two groups, meaning more group matches, with semi-finals and finals taking place at the Rose Bowl in Southampton on Saturday August 14.