Alex Blake says he is keen to get away from his reputation as Kent’s ‘finisher’ and bat higher up the order in limited-overs cricket.

Blake stole the show with a career-best 89 from 56 balls in the Royal London One-Day Cup defeat against Lancashire at Canterbury on Saturday. However, it was too little too late as he came in at 87-5 with his side still needing 172 runs in 30 overs for victory.

The 26-year-old cracked five fours and seven sixes but was the last man to go with the Spitfires still 51 runs in arrears.

He said: “I was enjoying myself. That’s how I’ve been playing the past few weeks and this season. I always try to play in my manner and losing wickets opened up even more of an opportunity for me to go and express myself.

“Wickets were falling, we were six or seven down – there was nothing to lose.
“Last week I played like that in the 2nds game and it came off for me (scoring 151 from 93 balls against Hampshire at Polo Farm), so I have to keep taking it on.

“That’s how I play my best, being positive, so that’s what I have to keep doing.”
Blake, who was making his 50th List A appearance in a career dating back to September 2007, said he was keen to bat higher in the order in future.

He said: “I’ve kind of got this role as a bit of a finisher. I don’t like to put myself in that bracket but that’s what people have mentioned, me coming in at the back end.

“The plan for me in 50 overs is to come in with 15 overs left, that’s the role I have at the moment.

“In the future, I’d like to bat as high as I can. I see myself as a No.4 – that’s where I’ve batted for the 2nds with some success. I’d always like to bat as high as I can.”

He added: “I enjoy my role. I enjoy the white-ball format but ultimately I want to play in all formats, that’s my goal. I’m still young enough, at 26, to do that. I’m not thinking about going down that one route, I want to keep all doors open to me and try and get into the four-day side. It hasn’t gone that way for me yet.”

Blake said that adopting his positive approach was key to Kent’s chances in Saturday’s T20 quarter-final against the Lightning, adding: “In T20 you have to carry on the way I played on Saturday –maybe I have got to go even further, into gear six.

“It’s a shorter format, our batters have been in great form and I’m sure we’ll try and return the favour to Lancashire and put one on them on Saturday.”