Martin van Jaarsveld has warned against expectations being too high ahead of the start of the new season.

Kent are favourites to win Division 2 of the county championship having been relegated last term.

But van Jaarsveld believes returning to the top flight will not be easy and they must get a good start.

He said: "I think there is a lot of expectation that because we have come down we are going to go straight back up.

"At the start of season we are going to be struggling bowling-wise. We’ve a few injuries, won’t have Ryan McLaren (who is playing in the Indian Premier League), and we are without an overseas bowler.

"Without being negative, I think it is going to be really hard work for us and we are going to have to play some smart cricket.

"We all know that in the Championship you need 20 wickets to win a game, so I think the start of the season is going to be a real tester for us.

"In so many of these competitions you need momentum. If you start well, you do well, but if you start a little bit behind in April you can struggle."

The 34-year-old goes into the season looking to replicate the scintillating form he showed in 2008 which culminated in him winning the Professional Cricketers' Association Player of the Year accolade.

He scored more than 1,000 runs in the Championship and was prolific in limited-overs cricket, hitting four centuries and 660 runs in nine innings as Kent reached the Friends Provident Trophy final.

He said: "Being the Players’ Player of the Year, when you get honoured by your peers, was really humbling.

"It was my best season ever and, hopefully, I can have a similar sort of season this year. If that’s the benchmark then I am going to have to work pretty hard to get there again."

Van Jaarsveld’s preparations this summer have been hit by a dislocated shoulder sustained while playing for Titans in his native South Africa.

Although he’s still only about 85 percent fit, he is determined to be in action for the start of the season.

"I am going to have to bite the bullet a little bit and it’s going to be a case of the captain trying to hide me in the field," he said.

"I think the test is going to come if I have to dive for the ball which is obviously something I don’t really want to do. If we can just leave it be for a month or so then I should be pretty close to 100 per cent."