Van Jaarsveld targets trophy haul

Martin van Jaarsveld is the leading run-scorer in the Friends Provident Trophy

Martin van Jaarsveld claims Kent are chasing glory on all fronts this season.

The South African was a member of the side that lifted the Twenty20 Cup last year, and he reckons that success has given them the belief that they can compete in every competition.

Kent have made an impressive start to the Friends Provident Trophy campaign - they sit top of the South East Division, one win away from securing a quarter-final place.

Although they went into this week’s LV County Championship game against Somerset a lowly eighth in the First Division, they are only nine points adrift of second spot, and van Jaarsveld insists the title remains very much in their sights.

“Whenever you step over the rope you want to win, but the most important thing is learning how to do that, especially in pressure situations,” van Jaarsveld told ecb.co.uk.

“Winning the Twenty20 last year helped with that - absolutely it did - and we put a big emphasis on one-day cricket.

“But there is no priority in terms of competitions. We want to play winning cricket and we want to win every game and every competition.

“In the past we didn’t have the firepower, but now we’ve got finishers like Justin Kemp, Azhar Mahmood and Darren Stevens. Those blokes are great to have in your side and we’ve got tremendous strength in depth in our batting.”

Van Jaarsveld has also been a key figure behind Kent’s early-season form, especially in the limited-overs arena, hitting three hundreds and two half-centuries in six Friends Provident matches.

He has passed 50 eight times in 13 innings in all competitions this year, and his tally of 704 runs at an average of 70 has seen him occupy the number one spot in the PCA MVP for two weeks running.

Van Jaarsveld claims last season's Twenty20 Cup triumph worked wonders for Kent's confidence

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He has, however, fallen without scoring three times, and van Jaarsveld joked: “The biggest challenge for me is to get past the first few balls.”

He added: “At the start of the season I came back from South Africa and changed a couple of technical things.

“I don’t go out there thinking ‘I need to get this many runs’. I just try and have some fun. I’m pretty pleased with how it has gone so far.”

Part of the reason behind van Jaarsveld’s optimism for the current campaign is the notion that Kent are unlikely to lose many players to international call-ups.

Captain Rob Key missed the victory over Nottinghamshire due to England Lions commitments, and has set his sights on winning his place back in the England Test side, but the remainder of the Kent squad can realistically make plans to be at Canterbury for the rest of the summer.

“That helps because obviously the squad is a lot more settled,” said van Jaarsveld. “It does help to have a stable side, without guys going off to play for England.

“It means you can work out a formula, whereas when you’ve got lads going away and back in, it can make it harder for the other players and for the team as a whole.”

The win at Trent Bridge also showcased van Jaarsveld’s leadership credentials - he led the side in Key’s absence - which, like his mountain of runs, is recognised in the PCA MVP.

“The more specific the criteria for the rankings, the better for players, so it’s great that they take into account whether you win games or whether you’re captain as well as how many runs or wickets you get,” van Jaarsveld added.

“They give individuals something to measure themselves against. Cricketers are proud people who strive to do better, so it’s nice to see how you compare with other players.”