New signing Scott Newman has not ruled out extending his stay at Kent beyond his two-month loan stint at the St Lawrence Ground.

The opener has joined Kent for the first two months of the season and will meet up with the squad on Monday when they arrive back from Antigua.

The left-hander, 32, will help bolster a Kent squad that is set to start the season without youngsters Adam Ball and Daniel Bell-Drummond (England under-19s), plus James Tredwell (England) and Azhar Mahmood (IPL).

Newman (pictured), who spent eight years at Surrey before moving to Middlesex in 2009, has found his opportunities reduced further at Lord’s following the winter arrival of former Kent opener Joe Denly, which forced him to look elsewhere for first-team cricket.

He said: "I got in touch with Rob Key in January and told him that I was available to go out on loan if he liked and things starting moving to the point where we are at now.

"I’m still contracted at Middlesex and they are still my county and I would like to get back in the side but you don’t know what’s going to happen in two months’ time.

"It could be that the Middlesex boys are playing well and I am playing well at Kent and there could be a chance of extending my time.

"At the moment I am just concentrating on playing cricket and scoring runs, wherever that is, and if I can help Kent and an opportunity arises to extend the contract and all parties allow that to happen, then that will continue. Likewise if Middlesex want me back, then that will happen."