Youngsters provide the silver lining as Steelbacks slump to bottom of Metro Bank table

A youthful Steelbacks side were hammered by seven wickets by Kent Spitfires at the County Ground on Thursday, to make if four defeats from six, with only one win and six points in the bank.

Darren Lehmann's side now have two matches remaining to try and get the wins needed to avoid the wooden spoon, with Lancashire also sitting on six points and Kent on eight.

They play their final home game of the campaign on Sunday when they host third-placed Middlesex (start 11am), and they wrap up the group stage next Tuesday with a trip to Taunton to take on second-placed Somerset.

Lehmann opted for a young line-up in the loss to Kent, handing a debut to teenage leg-spinner Aryaman Varma after he signed a rookie contract, while there were also further starts for 17-year-old Nirvan Ramesh, 20-year-old Stuart van der Merwe and 19-year-old Aadi Sharma.

And it was Sharma who proved to be the main man with the bat, hitting 82 from 90 balls, and he was well supported by fellow rookies van der Merwe (37 from 48) and Varma (30 from 31) as the Steelbacks were bowled out for 243 in 47.2 overs.

But it was a bad day for the senior batters, with Luke Procter (15), James Sales (8), George Bartlett (6), skipper Lewis McManus (12) and Rob Keogh (3) all failing.

Kent then cruised home at 247 for three with more than five overs to spare, with teenage opener Ben Dawkins hitting an unbeaten 111 from 105 balls, as the Steelbacks bowlers once again toiled.

The pick of the bunch was spinner Ramesh, who had claimed one for 13 from his four overs before having to leave the field after being hit in the face with the ball while fielding.

Sharma admitted it was another disappointing result for the Steelbacks, but was happy that he contributed a signifcant effort with the bat as opener.

“It was a frustrating result, but to get out on the park with me, Stu, Nirve, Varms, there were quite a lot of young lads out there, was a great experience," he said.

"And I thought everyone went well. It's just unlucky overall, I guess."

The match was Sharma's fourth in the competition, and saw him come good as he hit a maiden List A half-century after scores of 1, 1 and 38.

Sharma has also been involved in a couple of Championship matches in what has been a steep learning curve for the youngster, and he admitted: “Experience is massive here.

"Like in these games, having a couple of games under your belt, it means those moments aren't foreign to you.

"So, for me, when we lost a couple of wickets, I was like, right, keep calm, you’ve just got to bat here, really.

"So, I think having those games in the Champo as well, and being around the first team lads a lot recently has been an unbelievable addition to my game as well, just experience wise, and I'm reaping the rewards at the moment."

Sharma was also thankful to head coach Lehmann for showing faith in him despite his struggles in the first couple of games.

“I think I have to owe that to Boof for keep putting me in the team," said Sharma.

"I think a lot of other coaches probably wouldn't have played me after those two games, but he showed faith in me, batted me again and batted me up top.

"I just thought I'd take my opportunities as best I could. And luckily, I'm in a bit of form. But the next game's the next game."

That next game is on Sunday against a Middlesex side vying for qualification to the One Day Cup knockout stages, and Sharma is hoping to be given the chance to build on his performance against Kent.

“It’s about just keeping your emotions level, rather than up and down," he said.

"It’s been quite an up and down season for me, so to find a bit of form at the moment is quite nice. I just want to keep carrying that on.”

Quotes courtesy of Jeremy Blackmore