KENT’S overseas star Andrew Symonds will skipper the county for the first time at the Mote this evening when the Spitfires start their 2004 Twenty20 Cup campaign against Middlesex

The Australian-raised all-rounder takes over the reins from county captain David Fulton, who has elected to stand down from the club’s Twenty20 matches.

Ironically, Fulton was struck down by a stomach virus earlier in the week and would have been too ill to play in the opening fixture at the county town venue in any case.

“We decided this week to give is a bit of a thrash with a slightly different side, so I made the decision to stand down,” said Fulton.

“As a respected member of the squad and a hugely experienced one-day international ‘Symo’ is the ideal candidate to lead us in a competition like this.

“It’s a format that makes different demands of a squad and, although I haven’t had a lot of say in selecting our side, I know that with Symo and Shahid Afridi in the squad, we have the firepower to cope.”

Kent go into their five southern area zonal matches with a much-changed and more youthful side in a bid to match the all-action style of Twenty20 cricket.

Pakistan pinch-hitter Shahid Afridi will play in the first three qualifiers together with Symonds, and there are also places in the squad for Whitstable batsman Joe Denly, Danish-born paceman Amjad Khan and all-rounder Matt Dennington, who have been out of first team contention of late.

The action starts at 5.30pm tonight, when Kent take on Middlesex.

Kent’s Twenty20 squad: Afridi, Carberry, Symonds, Walker, Loudon, Tredwell, Smith, Denly, Dennington, Khan, O’Brien, Trott, Saggers.