2020 season | |||
---|---|---|---|
Coach | Matthew Walker | ||
Captain | Sam Billings | ||
Ground(s) | St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury | ||
Bob Willis Trophy | 2nd, South Group | ||
Vitality Blast | Quarter-finals | ||
|
In 2020 Kent County Cricket Club were scheduled to compete in Division One of the County Championship, the Royal London One-Day Cup and the 2020 t20 Blast. However, the season was heavily disrupted by the global COVID-19 pandemic, with no county cricket fixtures played until August.[1] For the shortened season, the majority of counties voted on 7 July to play first-class and Twenty20 cricket,[2] with the Royal London One-Day Cup being cancelled.[3] Instead of the County Championship this year, the 18 first-class counties competed for the 2020 Bob Willis Trophy, which consisted of three regional groups of six teams and a final at Lord's.[4]
The season was the fourth in charge for head coach, and former player, Matthew Walker. Former Kent bowler Simon Cook became the new bowling coach after a spell as head coach of the Hong Kong national team, replacing South African Allan Donald who left the county at the end of the previous season.[5][6] Former England all-rounder Michael Yardy joined Kent as the new batting coach in February 2020.[7] Sam Billings retained the club captaincy that he was first awarded in 2018.[8] Billings and vice-captain Joe Denly both spent time away with England squads throughout the season, and so Daniel Bell-Drummond captained the side on several occasions.[9]
The delayed start of the season and the resulting loss of income meant that, like many other counties, Kent decided to cancel contracts for their overseas signings.[10] New Zealand fast bowler Matt Henry had been due to return for the first part of the season after a highly successful spell with the county in 2018.[11][12] Meanwhile, Afghan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi had signed to play for the county in the t20 Blast for a second successive year.[13][14]