by Andrew Gidley

Graham Ford hopes fatigue won’t affect Kent’s attempt to become Twenty20 champions for the second time in three years at Edgbaston on Saturday.

The squad head for Birmingham having had little time off in the past fortnight following three crucial LV County Championship Division 2 matches in the space of a fortnight, although front-line bowlers were rested in Sunday’s NatWest Pro40 game against Middlesex.

Cricket director Ford (pictured) described the county’s schedule as "mad and crazy".

He said: "It’s a massive challenge having played nearly 15 days cricket out of 16 and there will be some tired bodies but I hope it won’t be a factor.

"The boys have worked hard to qualify and deserve the chance to enjoy a wonderful day.

"We have to look on it as being just another day’s cricket in a busy summer. We can’t get too caught up in worrying about the opposition. It’s all about looking after our own game, concentrating on our skills."

Ryan McLaren, hat-trick hero when Kent beat Gloucestershire in the 2007 final on the same ground, remains Kent’s major injury worry, after sustaining a side strain against Derbyshire.

McLaren sat out the game at Northampton this week. Kent will give the South African every chance to recover and, with Wayne Parnell rejoining the squad, hope to name the same team that beat Durham in the quarter-final.

Kent squad: (from): Denly, Key (capt), Van Jaarsveld, Jones, Stevens, Kemp, Azhar Mahmood, McLaren, Tredwell, Cook, Parnell, Hockley, Northeast, Khan.