Alex_Blake_(cricketer)

Alex Blake (cricketer)

Alex Blake (cricketer)

English cricketer

Alexander James Blake (born 25 January 1989) is an English professional cricketer who played for Kent County Cricket Club between 2007 and 2023. He played as a left-handed batsman who bowled occasionally.[1] Blake was born in Farnborough in Bromley and attended Hayes School before studying at Leeds Metropolitan University.[1] Blake was known as a "brutal limited-overs batsman" and an "athletic" fielder.[1]

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Cricket career

Blake was a member of the Kent Cricket Academy and played for the county at age group level before making his debut for the Kent Second XI in 2005.[2][3][4] He was part of the England under-19 team which played in an invitational tri-series in January and February 2007 in Kuala Lumpur. Blake made four under-19 One Day International appearances during the tournament against Malaysia under-19s and Sri Lanka under-19s.[5]

Blake made his List A cricket debut for Kent in the 2007 NatWest Pro40 against Surrey in September 2007,[6] before going on to make his first-class cricket debut for Kent against the touring New Zealanders in April 2008.[1][7] He broke into the County Championship side in 2010 and scored his maiden County Championship century against Yorkshire in the final Championship match of the season.[1][8][9]

In 2015 he scored three half-centuries in Twenty 20 matches,[10] including his best score of 71 not out, scored in 30 balls against Hampshire.[1] Blake scored another two half-centuries in the 2015 Royal London One-Day Cup and recorded a batting average of 62 in the competition.[10] After attracting attention from Sussex,[11] he was awarded a new contract at the end of the 2015 season[1][2][10] and won Kent's One-Day Player of the Year award at the end of the season.[12][13]

After only making one first-class appearance during 2015, Blake returned to the Kent County Championship side during the 2016 season, making eight appearances.[14] He hit three sixes from the only balls he faced to complete a Championship win against Derbyshire in May and hit 66 not out against Surrey in the One-Day Cup, scoring a six from the penultimate ball of the match to secure the win for Kent.[15][16]

In January 2020, Blake signed a new white-ball contract with Kent, becoming the first homegrown player to sign such a deal with county.[17] After the 2023 season his contract was not renewed by Kent, bringing to an end a 17-year professional career with Kent.[18]

References

  1. [1]
    Reid J (ed) 2016 Kent County Cricket Club Annual, Kent County Cricket Club, pp.23–24.
  2. [2]
    Hoad A (2015) Kent Cricket white ball star Alex Blake agrees new contract at club following speculation about Sussex switch, Kent Online, 2015-09-09. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  3. [3]
    Teams Alex Blake played for, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  4. [4]
    Kent Cricket Academy Scholars (archived). Retrieved 2007-09-06.
  5. [5]
    Under-19 ODI matches played by Alex Blake, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  6. [6]
    List A matches played by Alex Blake, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  7. [7]
    First-class matches played by Alex Blake, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  8. [8]
    Kent on the brink as Yorkshire battle for title, BBC Sport, 2010-09-15. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  9. [9]
    Alex Blake signs new three-year contract with Kent, BBC Sport, 2011-02-16. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  10. [10]
    Alex Blake: Kent batsman signs new contract, BBC Sport, 2015-09-09. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  11. [11]
    Hollis S (2015) Sussex chase Kent batsman Blake, The Argus, 2015-09-08. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  12. [12]
    'Coles named Kent player of the year for 2015' in Reid J (2015) Op. cit., pp.82–83.
  13. [13]
    Beckenham and Bexley stars recognised at Kent cricket awards night, News Shopper, 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  14. [14]
    First-class batting and fielding in each season by Alex Blake, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  15. [15]
    County Championship: Kent win after Derbyshire collapse, BBC Sport, 2016-05-25. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  16. [16]
    One-Day Cup: Alex Blake gives Kent victory over Surrey off penultimate ball, BBC Sport, 2016-06-05. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  17. [17]
    Alex Blake: Kent batsman signs new white-ball deal until 2022, BBC Sport, 2020-01-24. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
  18. [18]
    Alex Blake & James Logan: Duo to leave Kent at end of 2023 season, BBC Sport, 2023-10-03. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
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