Michael Cohen is someone Simon Cook thinks is capable of hitting the 90mph mark as the Kent fast bowler continues his injury comeback.

Left-armer Cohen, 26, joined in November 2023 - but had a season to forget last year.

Cohen's maiden Kent campaign ended before it had even started due to a back stress fracture, having missed much of 2021 with a similar issue.

But the former South Africa under-19 international kept himself occupied, providing support to Kent’s 2024 analyst team.

Director of cricket Cook said: “He dealt with it really well.

“He wanted to stay involved so he did a lot of work with James Tomson, our analyst, because he wanted to help the guys.

“He helped to cricket-ise a lot of the data that they were producing and just trying to make it a bit more available for players so they can interpret it a little bit more. He helped hugely in that regard.

“He’s an infectious character. He’s one that has worked incredibly hard.

“Half the battle is pulling him back, trying to make sure that he doesn’t do quite so much.

“He’s been receptive to that - I won’t go as far to say that he’s enjoyed it - but he’s certainly been very receptive to it. Touch wood, he’s tracking really well.

“The thing about him is he’s an X-factor player for us. He’s a left-armer, swings it in, a bit skiddy, bowls at high 80mph and I think he could potentially push the 90mph mark.

“He’s something we haven’t got.

“With those sorts of players, you need to look after them a little bit so, when you do get them on the park, you get maximum value.”

While Kent didn’t add to their bowling options over the close season, they will hope to have three players back for 2025. Matt Quinn and Dutch international Fred Klaassen also suffered with injury issues last term.

But 32-year-old Quinn managed just nine balls in Kent’s opening friendly against Sussex last week before he came off with a lower limb problem. That has ruled him out for the rest of pre-season.

Cook, himself a Kent bowler from 2005 until 2012, said at the club’s media day earlier this month: “We have got three bowlers, which we didn’t have last year, so they’re effectively three signings.

“That really is an indication of why we didn’t go jumping in the domestic market for bowlers. We actually have bowlers - they’re just injured - and we’ll have to make decisions (around their workloads) going through the year. That’s part of sport.

“We’re hoping all three of those bowlers have really successful years and there’s nothing to say that they won’t. Fred is just back to bowling where he’s been away with The Netherlands recently.

“Mikey Cohen is in South Africa, continuing his back-to-bowling programme. So, he’s on a slightly different programme to everyone else.

“But we’re hoping two of those (Cohen and Klaassen) will be back for the T20s.”