Dexter joins Essex on loan

Five days ago Neil Dexter was leading Kent into the semi-finals of the Friends Provident Trophy with a match-winning 101 against Somerset. On Wednesday he could be turning out for Essex in the Twenty20 after signing a month-long loan deal with the club.

Dexter will be available for all Essex's matches up to July 10, except when they take on Kent in the Twenty20 Cup on July 18 and 22. He will help cover for the absence of Ravi Bopara and Alastair Cook, who will join the England one-day squad after the first round of Twenty20 matches.

"From our point of view we are going to lose Bopara and Cook so need to bring in a new batsman to freshen things up," coach Paul Grayson told the Essex website. "Neil's clearly in form so we are delighted to have his services for a month.

"I saw a lot of him during my days as second XI coach and he's an exciting, hungry young player. As someone who also bowls and is an excellent fielder we see him as a 'like for like' replacement for Ravi. It's no secret that we've been struggling for runs lately and the time has come for us to be pro-active in the loan market."

Graham Ford, the Kent coach, said: "We are delighted that we are able to give Neil the opportunity to play first team cricket. We recognise that opportunities for him so far this season have been limited."

Dexter can be recalled by Kent at any time during the loan period to take up a first-team place should such an opportunity occur.