KENT’S dreams of success in the C&G Trophy came to an abrupt and sad end at Edgbaston.

Though we batted well up front, our innings seemed to lose momentum toward the end and though our total of 259 was competitive it wasn’t quite as much as it might have been.

Nick Knight then gave us a brilliant display of one-day batting, his ability to work runs from good deliveries and his disruptive improvisation always kept our bowlers and fielders under pressure.

It all left me wondering why he has made himself unavailable for international one-day cricket, but just for the record, I am getting slightly tired of watching him bat – this was his third hundred against Kent this summer!

After a painful defeat of this nature it is easy to blame the players for weaknesses in attitude or a perceived lack of commitment, but I can confirm that none of our lads can be criticised in these areas.

Their determination and effort impressed me but we do, however, need to be realistic and accept that our one-day cricket has been poor for a number of seasons.

This week the cricket committee meets to review what stage they feel we have reached in terms of one-day cricket but the initial message seems clear – we need to change of mindset and approach.

One-day cricket has progressed rapidly in the last few years and it seems clear that several other counties have moved forward much quicker in this format of the game than we have.

Traditionally, much of our focus at Kent has been on championship cricket.

Our winter and pre-season preparation are all geared to championship performance and even our player bonus scheme is linked to championship achievement and in most cases contracts are negotiated according to championship returns.

So my challenge ahead, and that of the cricket committee, is to develop the skills and quality of our one-day squad without impacting on our championship performances.

We really are in the crucial stage of our championship challenge and a huge effort is required from the Spitfires to push on from here.

Fatigue will begin to play a part so the vital ingredient now is mental strength.

Sure, physical ability counts for plenty but you cannot become champions on physical ability alone.

Hopefully the Edgbaston disappointment will motivate our Kent players to dig deep and show the fight required at this stage of the summer.