Lancashire v Kent

KENT'S players may well use their long trek up the M6 to mull over their Friends Provident Trophy elimination as well as steel themselves for the up-coming four-day fight against unbeaten Lancashire at Old Trafford.

By the time they get to Manchester the entire Kent squad will have had time aplenty to consider their two defeats in Tunbridge Wells to Hampshire and Gloucestershire that saw them go out of the competition.

Kent ultimately finished fourth in the southern conference, having been in the driving seat for the past three weeks; so costly was Wednesday's 40-run defeat to Gloucestershire.

Rob Key's side have shown a great capacity this season to bounce back from such setbacks, however, and the team are likely to be fired up to put on a much improved display against the red rose county over the next four days.

Key will pick from a full-strength side now that Matthew Walker is fully recovered from the thumb injury that forced him to sit out the draw with Yorkshire at The Nevill.

Walker will replace Neil Dexter in the starting 11, while Kent Academy youngster Warren Lee will also head north as 12th man, allowing Dexter and Robbie Joseph to stay behind to play 2nd team cricket.

Kent go into this, their seventh LV Championship match of the campaign in fifth place and with a playing record of having won two, lost twice and drawn twice. With 68 points they lead Lancashire, in sixth, by only three points.

The hosts, who have also played six, are unbeaten having drawn five and won once.

The match is scheduled for an 11am start on Friday and daily match reports will be available on Kentonline each evening after close of play.

Kent: Key, Denly, van Jaarsveld, Walker, Stevens, Jones, Hall, Yasir Arafat, McLaren, Tredwell, Cook. 12th man: Lee.