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Matt Walker says Kent’s senior players all agree with the decision for those who got them to the Royal London One-Day Cup final to be given the chance to lead them to glory.
Several key Kent players and head coach Walker missed their run to the final as they were involved at The Hundred.
The Hundred has now finished this year, but captain Sam Billings, Jordan Cox, Jack Leaning, Daniel Bell-Drummond and Matt Milnes are all still expected to miss out at Trent Bridge this Saturday against Lancashire.
Cox will be away with England anyway while Billings (groin) and Milnes (back) sustained injuries in last week's heavy County Championship defeat to Essex. Although Lancashire say they will pick their strongest side possible, in reality, few who played in The Hundred will be available anyway, with several players on international duty.
“That’s absolutely fair and I think everyone is on board with that completely,” said Walker, whose team last made the final in the competition four years ago.
“That group of players got us to the final, that group of players will play in the final. Hopefully Alex Blake will come through with his [finger] injury, which is going to be a little bit touch and go. It’s the right thing to do.
“When a team plays that well to get you into that position, they deserve the chance to go and win it. Whatever the opposition does is irrelevant.
“That’s a strong principle of ours - we feel they should be rewarded for all the hard work they have done in getting us there. So no problems with that.
“I think every player who was at The Hundred is completely on board with that, too, there’s no moans and groans. They think that’s the right thing to do, too, which is helpful.
“You need to be fair about these things. It’s only right that this group has played some brilliant cricket to get us to a final - off you go, go and win it.
“It didn’t take too much thinking, it was a pretty straightforward decision.”
After winning their first match in the Royal London One-Day Cup, the Spitfires lost three in a row.
Walker believes a last-ball Grant Stewart six which earned them a Duckworth-Lewis success over Yorkshire helped inspire the team to build momentum at the right time. They then won their final group-stage game against Lancashire to progress to the knock-out stage and have since seen off Leicestershire and Hampshire.
On reaching the final, Walker said: “It’s a big deal.
“At the start of that competition, we felt we had a squad there that - barring injury or any more call-ups to The Hundred - had a chance. If you look at that team on paper, with a couple of overseas in it for the start of it, we felt we had a good chance.
“It was a poor start but it’s a funny old game. One moment, with Grant Stewart hitting that last ball for six against Yorkshire which is whatever it is, a one in 30 chance or whatever the statistics are on something magical like that happening, it’s funny. I felt at the time not even being around that, that could just change something - and it did.
“It created a buzz, a bit of belief in the group. Then you win a tight one in the next game, you sneak through and it’s funny how things can change so quickly.
“I think to be in any final is a really good achievement. It’s exciting and it gives us something to really look forward to at the back-end of the season. Another trophy in the cabinet would be great.”
Kent lost to Hampshire in the 2018 Royal London One-Day Cup final. Walker conceded that final came too soon but, having been crowned T20 Blast champions last summer, he feels the squad are capable of winning more silverware.
He said: “I think it’s been a long time since we had a 50-over final - 2018 we got there, and that was probably a little bit too soon for us at that stage to get to a final.
“But on the back of last year’s success, I think we are ready for more.
"I’m extremely proud of the group for really wrestling their way back into a competition and getting into a final. I think everyone is very thrilled about it.”
