Tredwell on an upward curve

Kent's James Tredwell has enjoyed unprecedented success this summer: 85 wickets and counting in all competitions

Kent off-spinner James Tredwell may be in unchartered territory as the leading wicket-taker in the country, but he insists there is plenty of room for improvement.

No-one can better the 27-year-old’s tally of 85 victims in all competitions this season, 60 of which have come in the LV= County Championship.

They are remarkable statistics for a spinner who managed just 24 championship wickets at 51 apiece last summer, which left him propping up the Kent bowling averages.

Tredwell puts his unprecedented success this term down in part to a new-found patience, and claims there is much more to come – against Derbyshire this week and in the years ahead.

“Absolutely, I’m getting better every year,” he told ecb.co.uk. “I think that’s true of all cricketers.

“Over time you work on situations you have experienced before and learn from those. I feel as though I’m learning all the time.

“I spoke to (former Kent and England spinner) Min Patel and changed a couple of technical things over the winter - nothing major.

“We didn’t really talk much about when you’re attacking – that’s meat and drink to you. We talked more about what to do when it’s a bit flatter and not turning as much.

“I’ve worked on improving my patience. I’ve been guilty in the past, when it’s been flatter, of trying too hard to get batsmen out, while Min looks from the other direction and tries to frustrate batsmen by not letting them score.

“You build that pressure, rather than trying to bowl him through the gate, which is what I’ve tried to do in the past. Little things like that have enhanced my game, which counts for a lot in the end.”

Tredwell has leant heavily on the advice of former England and Kent slow left-armer Min Patel this season

By Tredwell’s own admission, Kent’s drop down to Division Two has contributed to his prolific summer, although the fact they sit 28 points clear at the top with a game in hand over second-placed Essex suggests they do not belong in the lower tier.

He is also aware that a drier summer this year, and the presence of a left-arm seamer in the Kent side for a significant chunk of the campaign, have provided further encouragement for an off-spinner.

“Certainly we’ve not had much rain for the last month, and whole summer we’ve been quite lucky,” added Tredwell, who now sits third in the PCA MVP for the championship, and eighth overall.

“We’ve had Wayne Parnell for part of the season, which has created a lot of rough for me to bowl into. Also, playing second division cricket - all of those things add up to a few more wickets.

“I went into the season really confident and I bowled a lot of overs in April, which helped.

“Playing in a winning team also makes a difference. We’ve got plenty of runs on the board and when the other bowlers have created some good pressure, so it’s quite easy for me to go on the attack.”

If Tredwell credits Patel with a change in mindset, he also pays tribute to the impact of Rob Key, whose reputation as one of the finest skippers on the county circuit continues to grow with every victory Kent clock up.

“Rob’s got a very shrewd cricket brain, and he helps me out from a batsman’s point of view – things like where they’re looking to score runs, that sort of thing,” said Tredwell.

Rob Key's input as captain - and from a batting perspective - have also aided Tredwell's ongoing development

“He helps set the field and then lets me get on with it, which takes the pressure off me a lot.

“He’s got a wicket this year as well, so he even claims he’s got a bit of knowledge about bowling spin now.”

Crucial to Kent’s success in recent seasons has been the captain-coach axis forged by Key and Graham Ford, who will leave at the end of the season after five years in charge.

The South African’s return to his homeland leaves a sizeable hole to fill in the coaching set-up – current Sri Lanka assistant coach Paul Farbrace is the man charged with filling it – but Tredwell is keen to ensure Ford’s reign ends in winning fashion.

“He is a quiet man and takes a little bit of a back seat, but he says his bit when he needs to,” Tredwell revealed.

“He has been massive in forging plans for us. He has been huge influence in what we have done, not only in championship cricket but also in one-day cricket. He has been extremely influential and he’ll be a big loss.

“It was disappointing not to get to one of the one-day finals this year, so it will be great if we finish on a high for him.

“That would be a good way for him to move on and a good way for Paul Farbrace to come in.

“Hopefully we can keep it up until the end of the season. Everything seems to be going right at the moment so I’m very pleased. You’ve got to make the most of times like this and enjoy them while you can.”