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Yorkshire and Kent will clash against each other in the Group 3 match of the County Championship, starting from Thursday.
Yorkshire have had a decent start to the County Championship 2021 season, winning three of their four matches so far. On the other hand, they have drawn only one game. They are currently placed second in the points table, securing 73 points in their four matches.
On the other hand, Kent have had a disappointing start to the season, losing three of their four matches so far. They have managed to collect only 24 points in their 4 games and are reeling at the bottom of Group 3.
Yorkshire secured a narrow one-run victory in their last game against Northamptonshire. Yorkshire scored 206 runs in their first innings, whereas in response, Northamptonshire scored 234 runs in their first innings. In the second innings, Yorkshire scored 247 runs. Northamptonshire needed just 220 runs to win the encounter. However, they were bowled out for a total of 218 runs.
Kent were outplayed by Glamorgan in their last match, as they were beaten by a margin of 10 wickets. Kent scored 138 runs in their first innings, whereas Glamorgan managed to score 197 runs. In the second innings, the losing side could manage to score only 74 runs. Glamorgan chased down a total of 19 runs in the second innings without losing a single wicket.
Darren Stevens was the standout bowler for Kent, having picked five wickets in the first innings. However, he failed to deliver with the bat, scoring just 5 runs in his two innings. Matt Milnes also picked up three wickets in the first innings, which helped to get his side back into the game.
Key Players
Adam Lyth has been a standout batsman for Yorkshire this season. The opener has scored 515 runs in his eight innings so far, at an average of 73.57. However, in the last game, he was dismissed for a golden duck in the first innings and could manage to score just 27 runs in the second innings. Lyth is the second-highest run-getter of the season so far. He scored an unbeaten knock of 115 runs against Glamorgan in the second innings and also scored over 50 runs in the first innings.
Steven Patterson has been the standout bowler for Yorkshire this season. Patterson has picked up 16 wickets in his four matches so far, at an average of 18.31. The skipper of Yorkshire picked up five wickets in the last match, which includes three wickets in the first innings and two wickets in the second innings. He also picked up five wickets against Sussex a couple of matches ago.
Darren Stevens was the standout bowler for Kent in the last game. He picked up five wickets against Glamorgan in the first innings. He also picked up two wickets against Lancashire earlier. In their first meeting against Yorkshire, he picked up four wickets in the first innings. He also scored a knock of 52 runs with the bat. He scored 47 runs in the second innings against Yorkshire but could not guide his team past the finishing line.
Daniel Bell-Drummond, the skipper of Kent, has not been in the best form this season. The opener scored just 44 runs in the last game in his two innings. His only good knock this tournament came against Lancashire a few games ago, where he scored 114 runs in the second innings. Against Yorkshire last time around, he scored just 37 runs in his two innings, as his poor form continues this season.
Prediction
Yorkshire enter the match against Kent as the favorites, on the back of their good form. The last time the two sides faced each other, Yorkshire defeated Kent by a score-line of 200 runs. It is a must-win game for Kent, who are reeling at the bottom of the table.
Kent has faced losses in their last three consecutive matches, and their only draw came against Northamptonshire in the first round. They lost by 10 wickets in their last game against Glamorgan. Senior players like Daniel Bell-Drummond and Zak Crawley have failed to deliver consistently for their team. Kent might be forced to make a few changes to their lineup ahead of their must-win encounter against Yorkshire.
On the other hand, Yorkshire have won their past three matches, and their only draw came against Glamorgan in the first round. In their last game against Northamptonshire, they managed to secure a thrilling one-run victory. Adam Lyth has been in fine form this season and is the top run-getter for his side.
