Former skipper James Tredwell was a surprise omission for Kent as they began their home campaign with the visit of Leicestershire on Sunday.

The 32-year-old spinner only returned to the UK from the ICC World t20 in Bangladesh days before the start of the LV= County Championship Division 2 season at Worcester on April 13, but he was been given a break by Kent coach Jimmy Adams to prepare himself for red-ball cricket after a winter of one-day and t20 duty with England overseas.

Adams told the Kent website: “We have decided to give Treddy some time away from the spotlight of first-team cricket to concentrate on some technical modifications as he readjusts to Championship cricket after a winter of ODIs and T20s.

“At the same time we are happy to have young Adam Riley, who is bowling well, in the team.”

Riley, 22, featured several times for Kent last summer with Tredwell away on England duty, claiming a career-best 7-150 at Hampshire while he also recorded a five-wicket haul - and 9-123 for the match - in the First Class warm-up between Sussex and Loughborough MCCU earlier this month.

Tredwell did claim three wickets spread across the two innings at New Road but they came at a price of 137 runs over 40 overs and some loose bowling on the third afternoon paved the way for the hosts’ 125-run win.

The figures continued a trend from last summer when Tredwell claimed just 17 wickets in 11 Division 2 matches at an average of nearly 60.

He has impressed for England in the shorter forms of the game however, establishing himself as the heir to Graeme Swann and collecting 39 wickets at an average of 28.

Day one of the LV= County Championship Division 2 clash was washed-out.