Kent chairman George Kennedy says the club is in the market for some ‘established international players’ to replace the departing Joe Denly and Martin van Jaarsveld.

Mr Kennedy (pictured) described the departure of two of Kent’s top batsmen and head coach Paul Farbrace as ‘bitterly disappointing’ but pledged: "We will absolutely reinvest the funds in their replacements."

He said: "It’s difficult but we have to face facts – we’ve had a poor season. While it is a sad day, their departures open up other opportunities for us.

"We have got a long time to fill the gaps in the team. People move on and we’ve got some up-and-coming youngsters that I am excited about seeing more of.

"I also understand the need for older heads and established international players to replace what we’re losing and there are some out there, so we will wait and see.

"We have already signed Charlie Shreck and we have got feelers out for other players and we are looking at batsmen now but contract negotiations take time and we are not in any rush."