T20 loss can toughen Kent - Paul Farbrace

Farbrace is in his second full season as Kent coach

Coach Paul Farbrace has said Kent will be mentally stronger for the experience of losing Saturday's FL t20 quarter-final at Leicestershire.

Kent scored 203-3 but the Foxes reached their target with four balls left.

He told BBC Radio Kent: "It's the sort of experience you have to go through as a professional cricketer. You have to go through losing on big occasions.

"It will only make those blokes mentally stronger and it will help them if they're in that situation again."

Farbrace added: "I think we've got some pretty resilient young kids and I think we'll bounce back pretty quickly."

The defeat represented Kent's last realistic chance of silverware as they are lying eighth in County Championship Division Two and fifth in Group A of the CB40.

Farbrace revealed that the loss at Grace Road hit his players hard.

"It was a very painful experience to go through. Everybody in the team and squad felt the pain on Saturday night and it was a horrendous feeling," said Farbrace.

"For some, it'll take a while to get over. As much as they are professional sportsmen, they still hurt. It was a horrible experience for us on Saturday."

Kent have the opportunity to start to eradicate the memory of their Twenty20 defeat on Wednesday when they take on Surrey in the County Championship.

"Cricket is a game that can eat away at you mentally. You've got to be strong and you've got to stand up.

Kent coach Paul Farbrace

Farbrace said that their game plan for the match at the St Lawrence Ground, and the rest of the season, would not change.

"We've got to pick ourselves up. We can't feel sorry for ourselves, mope around and look forward to the middle of September. We've got a lot to do in the other two competitions. We've got to practice with purpose," said the 44-year-old.

"We're going to pick our best side and aim to win the game."

The former Sri Lanka assistant coach added that he was looking for an instant response from his players: "Cricket is a game that can eat away at you mentally. You've got to be strong and you've got to stand up.

"This is a week where we've got to show we've got strong characters who are going to push on."